Galway and Cork woes highlight how Kerry’s money men get it euro perfect

YOU’LL be aware this last few days the financial woes pertaining to the Cork and Galway GAA County Boards. The Rebels are in a spot of bother with regard to the spending overrun on the redeveloped Pairc Uí Chaoimh and the Board’s (in)ability to pay off the enormous debt on the facility.

Galway’s issues are different but no less worrying with evidence of, at best, poor practice in their financial accounting or, at worst, something more sinister in how moneys have come and gone through the Board’s books.

Cork and Galway aren’t the only County Boards to have had their finances come under the spotlight in recent years and in more than one county Croke Park officials have had to step in to oversee matters and get the finances back on an even keel.

Long gone are the days of a treasurer with a biscuit tin, a cheque book and a ledger, dealing with a few thousand or even a few hundred thousand euro overall. Every GAA County Board is now a multi-million euro business and perhaps it’s unrealistic and unfair to expect a voluntary treasurer and a couple of part-time book-keepers to keep tabs on the millions that flow in and out of a County Board in any given year.

What the trouble and strife in Galway and Cork does highlight also is the brilliant job so many County Board treasurers do year in year out, and Kerry GAA can stand proudly with the best of them.

Just last week Weeshie Lynch stepped down as Kerry’s treasurer and anyone looking over the accounts and balance sheet can see just what a fine job he did with the purse strings.

The debt on the Centre of Excellence in Currans is, relatively speaking, small and the repayment structure clearly laid out for the next few years.

A sinking fund has been set up for future capital spending and overall the bottom line stands up pretty well with a small operating profit going forward.

It’s only when one sees things going seriously awry elsewhere that one can fully appreciate the enormity of the task of looking after the finances of a County Board, and in Tom Keane Kerry certainly look to0 have appointed another very safe pair of hands.