Offaly chairman Michael Duignan has called for an “urgent equalisation of funding” at GAA Congress.
Duignan was speaking following the presentation of GAA director of finance Ger Mulryan’s annual report, which outlined the huge losses suffered in 2020 largely as a result of staging games behind closed doors when inter-county activity finally resumed at the back end of last year.
The two-time All-Ireland winner, who has been outspoken on funding issues in the past, took issue with wildly contrasting figures between Dublin and his own county in terms of player expenses and operating grants in illustrating his point.
However, the figures that Duignan quoted were based on those issued in error in the original financial report earlier issued this month and which were subsequently corrected.
Dublin's player expenses actually totalled €86,990 compared to Offaly's €53,260, while both counties received €30,000 in operating grants. Initial figures suggested a disparity of around €1m between the two counties in those figures before they were amended by the GAA.
In terms of central games development funding, Dublin received €745,695 for 2020 compared to €56,780 for Offaly.
The two-time All-Ireland winner said: “I would urge going forward that we look at the equalisation of our funding model because for counties like ourselves, I’m a year in the job now.
“One of the biggest challenges is financial but I’m very conscious we have to help ourselves in terms of fundraising, sponsorship, etc and I would have had [GAA director general] Tom Ryan down within the first few weeks of coming in last year as chairman.
“We’ve been over with Leinster in terms of trying to garner more funds in terms of administration, staffing, in terms of coaching and games staffing and just, I think, it’s very, very important in terms of smaller counties, in terms of the challenges we already have in terms of population, etc that we can do nothing about but we do need more support and more funding."
He added: “Our ability survive, never mind compete again at the highest level, is based on an urgent equalisation of funding and, I think, a targeted approach to the distribution of funding is very important.
“This is not an anti-Dublin statement, I have huge regard for this Dublin team but I just think that this whole discussion has been, I won’t say swept under the carpet, but I think times have changed. Dublin received support when they needed it.
“I think other counties do as well now and I very much welcome, when we get back on our feet, to further this discussion and to continue our discussions with yourselves.”
Initially, there was no response from Mulryan, Ryan or GAA president John Horan to Duignan’s comments but later in the day, after the Dublin delegation had moved to clarify the figures quoted, Horan did speak on the matter.
“I would just like to actually pick up on something else Michael actually said in his speech about being swept under the carpet," he said, despite Duignan stopping short of such a declaration.
"I must say I found that a bit insulting and considering in my time in Leinster Dublin’s budget in coaching was reduced by €200,000 and that was dispersed among other counties so I just would like to put that on the record as well and not let that comment pass.”
