GAA earn record revenue of €96.1m as gate receipts return to normal

Ard Stiúrthóir of the GAA Tom Ryan speaking during the GAA Annual Report Launch at Croke Park today. Photo: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Colm Keys Twitter Email

February 02 2023 01:32 PM

The GAA's Central Council generated record income of €96.1m for the 2022 financial season, surpassing €73.9m taken in during the last comparable financial year pre Covid, 2019.

The 2022 figure is swelled by €21.37m in State funding with Covid support still appearing on the balance sheet as a portion was applicable during that period.

The main driver is gate receipts which were back to normal levels with Covid restrictions on crowds lifted in early February.

That allowed gates to climb and consequently €33.4m was taken in between league, championship and club championship fixtures, below the €36.1m in 2019 that included an All-Ireland final replay between Dublin and Kerry but €3.8m higher than the €29.6 figure from 2018. Because of Covid gates were €11.66m in 2021.

The All-Ireland football championship brought in €15.9m with the hurling championship taking in €9.9m. League gates were also up considerably, to €5.6m.

The Croke Park stadium delivered its biggest ever dividend to Central Council resources, €17m with the return of games and seven concerts, on top of corporate and other uses of the facilities.

GAA finance director Ger Mulryan said the Association was "getting back on its feet", post Covid and that the outlook was "positive".

Commercial revenue was down to €22.4m in 2022 from €26.2m in 2021, a drop of €3.8m which was explained by two All-Ireland championships falling in the 2021 financial year, the 2020 championship which was played through November and December that year and the 2021 championship itself.

State funding came in at €21.3m with €10.6m in Sport Ireland grants for player welfare and games development while €9.5m came through Covid support which were still applicable for part of the 2021 financial year.

In terms of consolidated returns, which incorporate gross revenues for Central Council, along with the Croke Park stadium, the insurance and injury funds, GAA, the Handball Centre and the museum, there was a record return too, €138.7m, up some €51m

The seven concerts, two from Ed Sheeran and five from Garth Brooks, brought in €7.6m for the stadium but stadium director Peter McKenna, while hailing the results as "special" said they were "exceptional" in nature and there would be a return to "a more modest set of results" in 2023 with no concerts planned and "significant negative variants”, such as the cost utilities which rose by 184pc to €2.34m in 2022.

Croke Park stadium took in €32.77m in the 2022 financial year with €7.17m from central Council matches and a further €479,193 from Leinster GAA in rent for their championship games.

One of the biggest single financial outlays on the balance sheet is a €14m commitment to the redevelopment of Casement Park. The GAA has pledged £15m for the project but it has been stressed again that the figure will not rise above that, despite the project cost now being between £120m and £140m.

Overall capital grants distributed were €24m, 26pc of income and up from €11m in 2021 as smaller grants were paid to counties for health and safety and access upgrades with money also pledged to Walsh Park and St Conleth's Park Newbridge redevelopments.

Director-General Tom Ryan confirmed that championship ticket prices would remain the same for 2023, a decision that had been a "challenging thing”.

"The surplus is great but is predicated on non recurring things, We won't be in the same position next year. We're under the same cost pressure as any other enterprise," he said.