€1million mark to be crossed as Donegal GAA fields more teams than ever

The cost of running Donegal GAA teams is likely to surpass the €1million mark this year.

Donegal has fielded more teams in 2022 than any previous year.

The Donegal GAA Academy, under the guidance of 2012 All-Ireland winner Karl Lacey and the county’s Games Development Manager Aaron Kyles, has been thriving.

Donegal teams continue to be competitive at all levels of all codes; not least the senior footballers, who face Derry in Sunday’s Ulster SFC final in Clones.

It comes at a cost, though, and on Friday the Donegal GAA Golf Classic was officially launched at he Rosapenna Golf Resort.

A limited number of entry slots are still available ahead of the June 10 event, which takes place at Rosapenna’s Sandy Hills course.

To register, email sineadjbreen@gmail.com or telephone 085-2811351. Entry fee is €300 per team and there are prizes on offer for male and female competitors.

Sponsorship opportunities, including of tees and greens, remain open.

“Fundraising is all so important to keep it all going,” Donegal GAA treasurer Alan Boyd said.

“Every euro is a prisoner and we have to try to look after what we spend.

We have fielded three more teams this year than we ever did in the under-15, under-16, under-17 hurlers. We never had the structure there to bring those hurlers on, but now we do.

“I would estimate that those teams will all cost about €1million. That’s a lot of money, but it’s money well spent.

“Three of the teams, as well as the senior footballers, were one match away from finals; the hurlers, the under-17 and under-20 footballers. That’s how near we are and it’s important to keep the conveyor belt going.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Croke Park heavily funded counties, paying, for example, 80 per cent of player expenses.

“We wouldn’t have survived without it,” Boyd said.

“We have carried on through that and there is a great buzz now ahead of the Ulster final. It takes a lot of resources now, but have turned a corner.”

Donegal GAA has invested around €300,000 in the academy alone this year, the treasurer said.

The Golf Classic is largely being put together by the secretary of Donegal GAA’s finance committee Sinead Breen.

“The young players in the academy are getting a great grounding and it’s vital to move that forward,” she said.

“We have our senior team completing at the business end in Ulster and we want to give them all support, but that takes resources.”

Declan Bonner was a long-time advocate of an academy structure before it was mooted at official levels. Bonner, who will hope to guide Donegal to an 11th Ulster SFC title on Sunday, wants the county to keep building.

“The guys are doing great work with the academy, right through until under-20 level,” he said.

“Our under-20s lost out to Tyrone, who went on to win the All-Ireland and the minors lost a penalty shoot-out.  It’s important that we make sure to give the young players a grounding to make it to senior football.

“We have a great facility now in Convoy (the Donegal GAA Centre) and there is still another phase of development there. It’s brilliant that we have that now. When I came back in, we were basically living out of portacabins, but we have really moved on. It’s so important that we have that facility.  All of this takes hard work and it takes money.”