Spending on Tyrone GAA set-up tops £1m for the first time in 2024

THE spending on Tyrone GAA’s inter-county teams reached the major milestone of £1 million for the first time in 2024.

Figures released at the recent County Convention at Garvaghey show that £1,042,057 in the year just past. This includes expenses for each of the county’s senior and underage teams, with the highest amount of £570,000 unsurprisingly going towards the senior football side.

But, while Tyrone are now above that £1 million figure, the amount spent on the Red Hand inter-county teams remains well below some of the other top counties. Galway’s spending reached 2.7 million euro, more than double that of Tyrone.

A total of £206,000 was spent on the county’s senior hurlers, while £131,000 was spent on the U-20 team. They, of course, progressed to win the All-Ireland title for the second time in three years, defeating Kerry in the final at Portlaoise.

The figures for Tyrone include expenses such as hotel accommodation for away matches, video analysis, the Tyrone team van and buses and nutritional supplements and medical expenses. Also included in the figure are expenses for the Academy teams at underage level.

Tyrone GAA treasurer, Niall McKenna, said the figure reflected a commitment to ensuring that players and teams reach their full potential and bring success to the county.

“We want to ensure that we sufficiently invest in our players and teams so that they can give as good an account of themselves as possible and are prepared as well as any other county. That being said, we also have a responsibility to not waste money and live within our means.”

The £1 million figure is up from £865,000 in 2023. No doubt the figure would prove mind-boggling for earlier GAA officials charged with running Tyrone’s inter-county teams in the past.

When Tyrone reached the All-Ireland semi-final in 1984 and the All-Ireland Final in 1986, special training funds were setup to help defray some of the costs associated with preparing the teams for those historic occasions.