GAA chairman makes appeal on yearly tickets
The chairman of Wexford GAA Derek Kent has appealed to club ticket holders to continue supporting the organisation by holding onto their yearly pass rather than seeking refunds if they can.
‘We appreciate their support and understand where they’re coming from in these difficult times. Of course, we will give a refund to anyone who needs it but if we don’t have championships this year, the pass will work for 2021.
‘We will help any patron who requires a refund but we would ask people to stay with us. If you hold onto your ticket, it will be valid for next year’.
An estimated €120,000 worth of club season tickets costing from €140 to €160 each, were sold at the beginning of the year but due to coronavirus regulations, no games have been played this year.
Last week, Enniscorthy-based GAA fan Tom Grimes called for ticket holders to be given full refunds but Mr. Kent said he feared that a flood of refund claims would lead to a major financial drain on the organisation.
‘I firmly believe we could start playing club championships in September, that is my belief and my hope,’ he said. ‘ Inter-county championships could start back in October and a drain on finances wouldn’t help our preparations.
‘I would ask anyone who has a ticket to be patient and stay with us. We are prudent with our finances.’
It is unlikely that Cúl Camps will be held this year, resulting in a loss of approximately €100,000 apart from the loss of gate receipts and fundraising activities such as a Race Day and Golf Classic.
The chairman said he did not agree with an administration decision in Croke Park to change the terms and conditions of season tickets in March after the Covid-19 crisis began (the same terms and conditions used by Wexford GAA) to exclude ‘Acts of God’.
‘You can’t change the terms and conditions half way through a season. That was wrong and they had to change it back. Fair play to the media for highlighting it,’ he said.
Wexford GAA is continuing to fund coaches who are providing physical and mental health programmes to large numbers of people online and is also continuing to maintain pitches in Ferns, Enniscorthy and Wexford.
‘We have 49 clubs and the GAA is at the heart of the community during the Covid-19 crisis, offering support and delivering groceries at this difficult time,’ he said.
Vice-chairman Micheál Martin and games manager Ray Harris are involved online in the McCauley Wellbeing Programme while past and present inter-county players such as Tony Doran, are reaching out to cocooning GAA fans by telephoning them for chats, with a large number of calls completed to date.
There are online meetings, panel discussions, coaching webinars and family quizzes and on May 31, Wexford GAA is asking all supporters throughout the world to wear their county colours and walk in their local area to promote mental wellbeing.
‘We are working hard. We are out there offering support and helping people’, said the chairman.
Speaking about Cúl Camps, he said even if it was possible to hold them with limited numbers, a lot of children would be disappointed. The only possible option might be smaller club camps. He agrees with the national GAA president’s stand on the continued closure of playing pitches, but believes it’s now time for Wexford to reopen walking tracks to the community and support club members to supervise them.
The annual Model County Draw won’t happen in its usual format this year, with the GAA looking at an online option later in the year and a bigger share of the proceeds going back to the clubs.