Budget cutbacks will have serious impact on everyday GAA running

CONVENTION NEWS:AS THE GAA county convention season continues to highlight the increasing costs associated with preparing intercounty teams, Tipperary secretary Tim Floyd will highlight costs of another sort in his address to Sunday's convention in Thurles.

Floyd refers to the Government cutbacks in both education and health announced in the recent Budget and fears they will have "serious implications" in the everyday running of the GAA, particularly ordinary GAA families around the country.

"The practicalities of the increase in the pupil/teacher ratio will have a disastrous effect for lower income groups and those with special needs," says Floyd.

"We need to protect the most vulnerable sections of our community, not leave them behind as the best students advance at their expense.

"Focus on extra curricular subjects like music, drama and sport will suffer as teachers will be under more pressure to secure points to ensure their students climb up the points ladder.

"The removal of substitute cover will curtail a lot of sporting activities which are very important to the general harmony in a school where health and fitness are just as vital as academic success.

"The course of action being taken by the Government is educationally divisive and basically unhealthy. Any attempts to restrict the playing of any games, not just Gaelic games must be resisted."

On a related matter, Floyd fears the cutbacks in health, which may lead to a downgrading in the accident and emergency services in Nenagh hospital, will also have serious implications for GAA clubs in the north and west of the county.

"Injured players will no longer have access to assessment and treatment by a doctor in the A and E department in Nenagh and instead will have to travel to the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick for treatment of injuries such as lacerations, fractures and head trauma concussion.

"General practitioners have already made it clear they will not be in a position to take on this work. The safety and well being of our players and patrons will be compromised given the extra distance to travel for appropriate treatment. The whole GAA community in Tipperary must unite and insist on retaining a 24 hour doctor led A and E service at Nenagh Hospital."

At the convention, John Costigan will finish his three-year term as county chairman and will take over from Con Hogan as Tipperary's Central Council Representative.

Barry O'Brien will graduate from vice-chairman to become county chairman. County development officer Seán Nugent and North chairman John Sherlock are standing for the position of county vice-chairman. Tom Maher will become the first assistant secretary of the Board, while John O'Donovan will become assistant treasurer.

Elsewhere, the Longford county board returned one of the rare profits for the past year, thanks in part to a reduction of €80,000 in the overall costs of preparing the county teams. Income for the year totalled €1,578,782, with expenditure calculated at €1,395,834, leaving a profit of €182,948.

Tuesday's convention heard expenditure on county teams is down from €408,123 to €329,503. There was €167,000 brought in from the race day at Punchestown early in the year, down €14,000 from 2007, while the loan on Pearse Park has been reduced to €730,000, down some €40,000 from last year.