A successful year has seen the GAA take in €52.8 million in 2012, a 13% increase on figures from 2011.
Get a €20 free bet no deposit needed bet with Boylesports.com. Click here for full details.
This averages out at just over €1 million per week, with the replayed Galway-Kilkenny clash raking in €2.6 million. GAA financial director Tom Ryan has said that gate income would have been on a par with 2011, even without the All-Ireland Final replay.
Ryan has warned that the successful year means the GAA cannot just sit on their laurels, as many challenges lay ahead.
“2012 has proven to be a year of solid financial performance at central level.” said the financial director. “Unfortunately, however, the prevailing environment is no less difficult than in previous years and it thus requires ever-increasing resilience and innovation in order to continue to prosper.”
A worrying number of the 383 games played under Central Council jurisdiction during 2012 failed to yield profit, something that could pose serious problems in the future.
“It is only a slight exaggeration to say that our financial well-being depends every year, in the short term at least, upon a handful of matches.” Ryan warned. “It’s vitally important that we get things right, and in 2012 we did.
“Last year was a summer of vibrant senior championships and healthy match attendances. That was particularly commendable in a summer which saw two major sporting events competing with us for spectators’ attention – the European soccer championships and the Olympic Games.
“Our revenue budgets were set with these pitfalls in mind but the actual impact proved minor. In fact, gate receipts grew by 10pc.”
The replayed All-Ireland Final between Kilkenny and Galway yielded €2.6 million for the GAA, with gate receipts totalling €21.6 million. This was an increase of €2.8 million in comparison to the previous year.
The successful year for the GAA is good news for football and hurling fans throughout the country, with GAA Director General Paraic Duffy confirming that there would be no increase in the price of All-Ireland tickets.
