Mr. Tom Ryan:

Finance and the generation of funds is not the raison d'êtreof Cumann Lúthchleas Gael but, like every other organisation, it is an important element of what we do and it has to be. It allows us to employ coaches, invest in facilities and to plan for the future growth of the organisation while safeguarding the health and vibrancy of our national games. We can only reinvest moneys we generate. Our commitment is to reinvest 85 cent of every euro received into the growth and development of the GAA at school, club, county, provincial and national level. Whether it is having an army of 365 coaches working in schools and clubs, helping to develop club facilities in local communities, or supporting injured players and growing participation, the work of the GAA to stay relevant is constant.

To say that our financial predicament is stark would not be an overstatement. It is our estimation that in 2020 alone, there will be a €50 million hole in our finances. We are working through possible scenarios for 2021 but it seems certain that further losses will follow of at least €20 million. These losses will be felt at every level of the organisation beginning at the most important unit, the club. This unit of the association will feel it particularly hard as assistance from central level and our provincial councils in developing facilities will be curtailed in the short term. The pandemic has also brought into sharp focus that as the national organisation promoting native Irish sports, we do not have an international governing body capable of coming to our financial aid. In that context, we publicly acknowledge the State support that has been earmarked for sport up to this point and thank the Government for its support in helping us to stage our GAA inter-county championships at a time the country needs a focus and a positive distraction more than ever.

This week provided a welcome glimmer of hope for all of us in what are still testing times. Last weekend, many county finals were played across the island at various levels, although without the familiar fervour that the presence of supporters ensures. This weekend, that will change and supporters will return to games in the Twenty-six Counties. While the numbers are small, they represent an important step in the right direction even at a time wider society continues to grapple with the challenges of the past six months.

Our engagements with the civic authorities have centred largely on how we can get people back to attending games in a controlled fashion, and we will continue to engage in that vein. We have developed plans that show how the GAA can demonstrate that we can continue to be trusted and to act responsibility with the safety of people in mind as regards the return of any numbers of spectators to matches. We look forward to working with the other sporting organisations to establish what might be possible for our larger stadia when the bigger games are being staged.

In the weeks and months ahead, we must all contemplate living with the virus and with an acceptable level of risk. As a sporting and cultural organisation with a considerable reach, we remain committed to playing our part and we will continue to urge our wider membership to do likewise. We look forward to the ongoing engagement and support of the State and also to a time when crowds can safely flock back to our games and sports, and sport in general, in the carefree manner that we perhaps took for granted as recently as 24 weeks ago.