When GAA President Aogán Ó’Fearghail introduced the GAA’s annual accounts at Croke Park yesterday he described them as being solid.

That was a word that sat well with Finance Director Tom Ryan.

Sport is a passionate business, on and off the field.  Everyone has an opinion.  Almost everyone believes they could do it better.  It needs the more prosaic calm of a financial administrator like Ryan though to actually get it done.

“I am pleased to report that 2016 was another good financial year for the GAA,” he said.

It was that with Central Council’s total revenues increasing from €56.5 million in 2015 to a record high of €60.5 million in the twelve months to October 31st 2016.

Ryan though was not about to let the glory of a big win go to either his or the GAA’s head.

“Of course any year which features a replay in an All-Ireand senior Championship Final is likely to turn out well, but aside from that obvious boost we fared well on many less obvious fronts as well, contributing to a year of solid financial returns and continued progress,” he said.

There were challenges.  Attendance fell by 5% overall but with the drops coming at the earlier stages of competition and with a replay boost at the biggest and most lucrative end gate receipts rose.

The cry will go up then that the cost of tickets must have gone up when they were in most demand but no.  Ticket prices for the replay were reduced as before and it was down to a better mix, differing trends in attendance which the Association is monitoring and hoping to address through enhancing competition in the Championships.

“The challenge is to increase attendances – and revenues – at the earlier rounds of the qualifiers.”

“The trend in recent years has been for lower turnouts in round 1 and 2 and increasing reliance on the latter stages.”

“This is not sustainable and has an adverse effect on the competitions far beyond the financial.”

There were big wins in premium seat renewals, in Stadium rental for concerts, conference and business events at Croke Park and in a number of key areas under the stewardship of Commercial Director Peter McKenna that we will look at in greater depth over the coming days.

The accounts are absolutely transparent. County Boards and members of the GAA would do well to absorb the detail ahead of the Annual Congress and reflect on the strong position that being commercial has created for building and growing the GAA in the face of immense competition from others and from outside sport altogether.

That only matters of course if the values that underpin the amateur ethos, the passion elements themselves, the knowledge of understanding what is the right thing to do and having the courage to do it, remain solid.

That is itself a major challenge but it can be done and it will be done.

Key Figures

* Increase of €4m in revenues to €60m

* Gate receipts up by €3m

* Central Council championship attendances drop by forty thousand

* Commercial revenues stable at €19m

* Direct cost of matches up to €12m

* Distributions to units up to €13m

* Games development up to €11m

* Player welfare down slightly at €4m

* Operating costs increased to €10m

* Capital expenditure and grants of €10m

* Net result is break-even

Where the money goes

“As ever, the GAA has funnelled all revenue back into the Association,” said Ryan.

“Central Council distributed some €13.4m to counties and clubs to underwrite their operating costs and to defray the cost of their participation in the various competitions.”

“”This is an increase of almost €1m over the previous year, and indeed is the highest annual distribution achieved in the Association to date.

“A total of €11.4m was deployed at all levels around the country and internationally around the country to further development of our games. This represents the single biggest coaching investment in any one year, and an increase of €1m over last year.”