THE GALWAY GAA treasurer said that Croke Park must accept some responsibility for the part they played in a ‘financial disaster’ which had ended up costing the county almost €3m.
Michael Burke said that the purchase of land at the height of the Celtic Tiger near Athenry for the development of a huge hurling training centre was ‘a dreadful mistake’ by Galway but that the GAA hierarchy in Croke Park must also be held accountable for the part they played in its purchase and also insisting on the sale of the land.
Galway hurling board purchased over 100 acres of land near Athenry at the height of the Celtic Tiger period and had hoped to develop a state-of-the-art training complex worth about €8m.
Planning permission was granted in 2008 for the development at Mountain South close to the M6 motorway which included six pitches, one of them an all-weather floodlit facility, dressing rooms, gymnasiums, meeting rooms, hurling walls and ancillary facilities.
Galway hurling board paid €2.8m for 102 acres and paid hundreds of thousands in bank interest before a sale was agreed in conjunction with Croke Park and Galway will continue to pay off a debt of €300,000 until 2028.
“We are now in a solid financial position and that certainly wasn’t always the case,” treasurer Burke told the annual Galway GAA convention.
“We are meeting our commitments of annual repayments of almost €300,000 to Croke Park for a dreadful mistake that was made in the past to purchase Mountain South.
“It was a financial disaster, bought for a crazy price at the time and sold for half the money it might fetch now. In any event, Croke Park insisted on the sale and perhaps it is for the better.
“The project was never feasible in the first instance. It will end up ultimately having cost us the best part of €3 million. Just think about what that money could have done for us if it was not for such a grave error?.
“A disaster like this can never be allowed to happen again. Burying our heads in the sand was never going to resolve the problem.
“I will be asking Croke Park to look favourably on infrastructure grants for Galway because after all, they were part of the decision-making process to buy Mountain South and indeed the sale of it.
“It is unfair to ask Galway to carry the blame and the pain for the whole mess. Croke Park owe us one on this,” he added.
