GAA Financial Annual Report
The GAA’s annual financial report was published yesterday with the headline figure of revenues received climbing from €54.6 million in 2013 to €56.2 million in the last 12 months, an increase of 3%.
This figure would have been substantially more but for the loss of concert revenue from the aborted Garth Brooks concerts in the summer.
Revenue from gate receipts remains the biggest single line item and this held steady at €29.4 million despite a drop in attendance at the All Ireland Football Championship series attributable perhaps in part to a perceived dip in competition though that proved anything but and will bounce back again in 2015 given their will be no competition from a FIFA World Cup.
Attendance at the Allianz League matches was significantly up and generated an additional €1 million income to make up for the Championship dip.
The biggest rise came in income from the rental of Croke Park, up €3 million on the previous year down mainly to the One Direction concerts that were staged in early summer, and the Croke Park Classic which is planned to return again in 2016.
It is likely that this increase would have at least doubled were it not for the cancellation of the Brooks concerts.
Media rights income increased by €356,000 as a result of Sky replacing TV3 as the secondary broadcast partner in the new three year deal.
Some surprise has been voiced that this was low considering the flak the Association took for involving Sky but the fact remains that the huge income seen elsewhere from media rights relates to exclusive coverage of the top events and this was never going to be part of what Sky Sports got in Ireland.
The increased visibility within the UK market will have other benefits in terms of sponsorship as has already been cited ion the new partnership between Britvic and Dublin GAA.
Sponsorship income for the year was down substantially from €6.6 million to €5.1 million. The one significant change in 2014 was the departure of Ulster Bank from the Football Championship and its replacement by GAAGo, the new joint venture between RTE Digital and the GAA.
Top line revenue will not be so important in this arrangement as the ongoing and subscription based revenues that will flow from new markets opening up for broadcast of the games from around the world.
Tomorrow we will look at how the money was distributed around the association.
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