Croke Park may have lost out on hosting the Emerald Isle Classic in 2016 but it did still play host to US Ambassador and self confessed ‘Sports fanatic’ Kevin O’Malley yesterday as he announced the sponsorship of the North American and New York GAA’s by Taxback.com
The deal will see Taxback.com providing US tax refunds for the GAA players that travel to the US on J1 visas during the summer months.
That was suggested as amounting to 400 players, many of them playing at senior club and even inter county level. The handling of tax refunds will make their temporary transfer even more rewarding and is likely an area that few would have otherwise considered.
“We are delighted today to welcome Taxback.com as a partner of our organisation,” said Chairman of the North American GAA, Gareth Fitzsimons.
“The GAA has for many years been at the heart of Irish communities in the USA and is a rite of passage for thousands of young players.”
“This summer we expect to welcome 400 Irish GAA players to the US and this partnership will enable us to support the growth of the GAA in North America and provide information and access to valuable services for thousands of our members both over the summer and into the future.”
“Taxback.com has a successful US operation run from our Chicago office which has grown significantly over the last decade,” added Mark Graham, Global Mobility Manager of Taxback.com.
“Over the last few years, we have developed a close working relationship with the GAA and seen first-hand how the GAA has grown in the US. We have been on the front line providing tax services and raising awareness about entitlements for the huge influx of Irish players to the country.”
“We are very proud of our Irish heritage and are delighted to further cement our ties with Irish communities overseas through this partnership with both the North American and New York Associations of the GAA.”
“The partnership makes sense because thousands of students go to the USA every year on the J1 visa programme – hundreds of whom are avid GAA fans and players. The average tax refund for a J1 student working in the US for a summer is approx. $800 and you can go back as far as 2012 so there could be close to $1 million in unclaimed tax refunds for J1 players that have travelled to the US during the last few years.”
That’s a significant amount of money sitting in the US that could pay for players to stay involved in the game when they come home. It’s a win-win and a smart partnership for sponsor, Association and the players.
Dublin footballer Ciaran Kilkenny is one player who has been away and was on hand yesterday to welcome the deal.
“Having been away from Ireland for some time, I would have a real appreciation of how strong Irish communities are abroad. The GAA is about place and community and I think especially when you are overseas those things are very important.”
“I know a lot of my friends will be travelling to the USA to work, play GAA and experience a different culture this summer and with Taxback.com now further embedded in the Irish community I think they can really offer some good advice to students around their tax issues when they come home”.
Image Credit: Sportsfile
