New Mayo GAA Vice-Chairman says county board ‘will not burden clubs with any additional debt’

MAYO GAA’S newly-elected Vice-Chairman has said that the county board ‘will not burden clubs with any additional debt’ to pay for the development of new facilities.

Speaking exclusively to The Mayo News following his election, Michael Diskin said that it would be ‘absolutely irresponsible and wrong’ to expect clubs to fund the €15.5 million training facility proposed for Bohola.

Mayo GAA currently carries a net debt of €5.3 million. Kevin Fitzmaurice, the county board’s chief financial officer, told the annual county convention that its outstanding loans would not be repaid until 2056 with the current annual repayments of €300,000.

Fitzmaurice told delegates that it would be impossible for the county board to incur any more debt and that ‘massive fundraising’ would be required to clear it.

Séamus Tuohy, Mayo GAA Chairman, also revealed that the county board has made a second voluntary disclosure to the Revenue Commissioners regarding ‘potential tax liabilities on expenses payments made to management, coaching staff, and referees as well as other player costs during those years’.

The county board made an initial voluntary disclosure of €119,778 to the Revenue Commissioners relating to outstanding tax liabilities from its Cúl Camps programme in 2018 and 2019.

Mayo GAA - along other county boards - are being audited by the Revenue Commissioners, which is expected to take a number of months to complete.

Mayo GAA provisionally recorded a financial surplus of €78,442 in 2024, down from a €776,357 surplus in 2023.

When asked how the county board could fund the development of training facilities in Bohola given its current financial issues, Michael Diskin said the county board would source funding from outside Mayo.

“We are going to have to look at funding, say, in the likes of Dublin, London, America, we are also going have to also put in significant applications for state grants, state funds, so we’re going to have to look for multiple channels of funding that’s not going to impact in any way on club resources, that’s critically important,” Diskin told The Mayo News.

Both Séamus Touhy and county board secretary, Ronan Kirrane, expressed dissappointment that Mayo GAA was refused funding under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund for new facilities at Mulvey Park.

Diskin said the county board still has plans to develop the pitch, which is situated beside MacHale Park.

“It’s probably twenty years since there was any significant funds spent on it, and given the amount of use Mulvey Park gets, it’s going to require some upgrading,” he said.

As Mayo GAA Vice-Chairman, Diskin will chair the county board’s Competitions Controls Committee, the body responsible for scheduling fixtures at all age levels and grades.

The Castlebar Mitchels club man said he would be open to fixing the senior and intermediate championship on alternate weekends in 2025.

This comes following a motion table by Davitts - which has been referred to the CCC - calling for the championships to be played on alternate weekends to alleviate pressure on referees.

“I think we have to look at that, we also have to look at in the context of there are now seven or eight hurling clubs in the county as well and we have to be cognizant of their requirements as well,” said Diskin.

“I think in an ideal world it would be the right way to go, but we’ll sit down, we’ll talk to clubs in the next couple of weeks in relation to what will this revised structure look like and would it meet the requirements of the hurling clubs.”

NO COMEBACK

DISKIN defeated former Mayo GAA Secretary Dermot Butler in the race for the Vice-Chairman’s position - the only senior county board position to be contested at the convention.

He commiserated with his challenger and thanked him for his ‘immense contribution’ to the GAA.

Butler said he was ‘disappointed’ not to return to the top table but congratulated Diskin on his success.

Diskin’s position as Assistant Treasurer was filled by Sinéad McLoughlin from Knockmore.

Daithi Gallagher will serve as the county board’s Cultural Officer while Séamus Smyth replaces Declan O’Reilly as Coaching Officer.

Outgoing officers Séamus Tuohy (Chairman), Ronan Kirrane (Secretary), John Walker (PRO), Valerie Murphy (Treasurer) and Brian O’Malley (Assistant Secretary) were also returned to their positions.

Con Moynihan was elected as the county board’s Central Council delegate after completing his maximum five-year term as the county board’s Vice-Chairman.

Former Mayo GAA PRO Paul Cunnane and former county board Chairman Liam Moffatt will continue as Mayo GAA’s Connacht Council delegates while PJ Lambe will continue to serve as Mayo GAA’s President.