Tipperary financial crisis revealed

NEWS:Tipperary officials have been told by independent auditors their finances are in a "precarious" state. The stark warning was issued on the same night county board secretary Tim Floyd revealed a substantial bill for under-declared VAT has been settled.

A VAT audit of the Tipperary GAA shop at Lár Na Páirce in Thurles concluded charges totalling €56,713, made up of €40,000 in VAT and the rest in penalties, were in order. Floyd confirmed these monies have now been paid.

Proposals

Delegates also voted through a number of proposals from county board chiefs aimed at reducing expenditure and raising income. Audited figures presented to last Tuesday night’s special board meeting, convened to discuss the financial crisis, confirmed a deficit of €244,390 for the 2012 financial year.

In the last four years, losses of over €650,000 have been recorded in Tipperary but chairman Seán Nugent and his fellow officers are determined to arrest the slide. Auditor Ronan Spain said: “Finances are in a precarious position and need to be turned around after three years of losses.”

In 2013, Tipp top brass want to make a €400,000 saving, by slashing expenditure by €200,000 and by raising an extra €200,000.

Nugent added that, to date, accounting systems have not provided “adequate information” for board officers.

Assistance

But he is confident the situation will now improve and revealed Tipp have received accounting assistance from GAA HQ.

Nugent conceded team administration costs will remain high, as he wants the intercounty football and hurling teams to be competitive. Spending on intercounty teams in 2012 exceeded €1m for a fourth successive year .

Car-pooling and bus travel for county players, where cost effective, should help to alleviate costs.

Senior hurling team training sessions could also take place at different club grounds, with the county board and the host club sharing the costs. Savings in relation to team gear and strict enforcement of budgets will be explained to players and management teams, with no jersey swapping permitted.

Premier package

A Premier Gold plus package has also been announced, where supporters can attend the five fixtures in Division One, plus the Munster SHC semi-final against Limerick on June 9th. Those signing up to the package can purchase championship tickets after the Limerick game, while entry to all Tipperary adult club games also covered. This package has been priced at €200 and is also available for football.

Free match passes will now be subject to a €25 levy and with an estimated 700 passes in Tipperary, this could raise over €17,000. Each pass holder, from county board chairman down to referees and umpires, will pay the charge.