Croke Park factor swells IRFU kitty

RUGBY:The IRFU annual council meeting yesterday reported a surplus for the financial year ending April 30th of €5.2 million, nearly all of which can be attributed to the move to Croke Park. This compares to a surplus of over €816,000 for the previous 12 months and leaves the Union's coffers looking relatively healthy after years of reporting annual deficits in the professional era.

Although the outgoing IRFU honorary treasurer, John Lyons, did not divulge the exact costs of playing at Croke Park, or the rental paid to the GAA, the independently audited accounts showed an increase of over €9.3 million in income, from €39.4 million to €48.7 million, from hosting representative matches. Income from international matches rose from €23.7 million to €29.7 million, and ERC and provincial income accounted for €6.5 million, from €4 million in 2005-06.

In admitting the move to Croke Park had a significant effect, albeit with undisclosed increased security and leasing costs, Lyons noted that direct comparisons between financial returns from year to year are not entirely valid, as no two years are identical.

But in a sense this makes the Union's new-found profits in moving from an outdated 48,000-capacity ground to a state-of-the-art stadium holding 83,000 all the more impressive given Ireland hosted only two Six Nations games, against France and England, as against three the season before.

Interestingly the outgoing president, Peter Boyle, also claimed the Ireland-England game at Croke Park "brought €90 million into the Dublin economy".

Against that, Lyons warned of a deficit for the 2007-08 financial year, because of the World Cup and the ensuing loss of television revenue and gate receipts from not hosting autumn internationals.

The outgoing treasurer did concede the undisclosed International Rugby Board grant for World Cup participation would make up some of these losses but did not cover the additional costs of preparing a squad for the Coupe du Monde.

With the professional game accounting for 88 per cent of the Union's income, Lyons underlined the continuing need for investment there, also maintaining income was very much performance related.

Against that, Lyons stressed that without continuing investment in the club and domestic game "we will be in serious trouble". Furthermore, the Union's cash balances dropped from €3.6 million because of several factors, mainly the addition of properties (mostly around the soon-to-be-renamed Thomond Park) to the Union's portfolio.

In his last of 11 addresses as honorary treasurer before becoming the Union's vice-president, and therefore incoming president in a year's time, Lyons reminded the 60 delegates present that in comparison to 2006-07, when the Union's turnover was €55 million, their turnover in 1997 was €9 million.

Der Healey became the first Highfield member in the club's 75-year history to assume the IRFU presidency, describing it as "certainly the greatest day in my sporting life" and "a special day for the club" given he himself never played schools rugby.

The outgoing president, Peter Boyle, paid particular tribute to IRB chairman Dr Syd Millar for his role in resolving the "recent spat" with regard to the Heineken European Cup. He also praised the Union's chief executive, Philip Browne: "An outstanding CEO and the best in the world".

This was also the last annual council to be held at the Berkeley Court Hotel, which will close its doors in six weeks' time after the RDS Horse Show.

Browne reminded delegates of several who passed away in the last 12 months: Robin Godfrey, Tom Cullen, Larry L'Estrange, Jimmy Davidson, Charles Vesey Boyle, Ronnie Boston, Brian McLoughlin, Ken Goodall, George Cromey, Ham Lambert, Dave Egan, JH Smith and Keith Rowlands.

As expected, the former Ireland winger and captain Tom Grace, now retired from Price Waterhouse Cooper, was elected honorary treasurer. John Callaghan of Armagh, formerly of Queen's, was elected unopposed junior vice-president.

In addition to the nominations from branches, the council is also empowered to elect six of the all-powerful 26-man IRFU Committee and in a ritual that goes back decades, two each from Leinster (Pat Fitzgerald and Caleb Powell), Ulster (Neil Jackson and Cecil Watson) and Munster (Cyril Fitzgerald and Gerry Quaid) were nominated from the floor, with Connacht's Eamonn Feely.

As usual, delegates were advised to elect six of the seven by dint of deleting one name, and as usual the Connacht man was excluded, the other six being re-elected.

The last time a Connacht nominee was elected was in the 80s, and even that was a one-off.