www.uibhfhaili.com

I hate to flog a a dead issue here but below is an article from the Roscommon GAA website detailing how they came up with the idea (while clearing up some misinformation as well) of providing high calibre transport for their teams while at the same time making money that can be pumped into the the running and development of Roscommon gaa
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Club Rossie would like to take this opportunity to clarify a number of inaccuracies that appear to be circulating regarding the Roscommon GAA Bus.

Roscommon GAA County Board did not spend €250,000 on purchasing the Team Bus and will not have to spend €150,000 per annum on running and maintenance costs, as has been suggested.

The Bus is in fact leased, with the annual cost of leasing and running the Bus covered by sponsorship, contributions from users and the remainder from Roscommon GAA funds.

It should also be noted that money from Club Rossie membership contributions is not and will not be used to finance the leasing of the Bus.

During a review of income and expenditure last Autumn it was decided to examine alternative ways to offset high Bus hire costs and the possibility of leasing a Bus was proposed. The project would not have proceeded were it not for the involvement of sponsors and when initially approached about becoming involved with Roscommon GAA they opted to become a sponsor of the Bus project, over other opportunities within Roscommon GAA, as it was an innovative concept and gave their business nationwide exposure, which could not be matched through traditional sponsorship or marketing opportunities. Similarly, the Bus has assisted in the marketing of the Club Rossie brand, resulting in savings on marketing expenditure.

The sponsors were impressed by the forward thinking approach to the problem of high transport costs and a number of other County Boards have contacted Roscommon GAA regarding the possibility of replicating the project.

After the lease period the Bus will become the property of Roscommon GAA County Board and will be a long term income generator, providing additional money to other areas such as Coaching, the preparation of teams and the development of infrastructure projects.

Club Rossie was established as the commercial and fundraising arm of Roscommon GAA following the approval of Roscommon GAA County Board, which is comprised of representatives of all Clubs in the county. The Club Rossie Committee was given a mandate to generate additional income to fund the development of Gaelic Games in the county and the spending of all monies raised is controlled by the Clubs and Officers of Roscommon GAA County Board. The members of Club Rossie, who number over 2,100 , will also receive quarterly updates on how their membership money has been spent.

Finally, Club Rossie would like to take this opportunity to publicly state our gratitude to all the volunteer Bus Drivers for their services, it shows the good will that exists in Roscommon GAA circles.

We trust this brings some clarity to the topic and if anyone would like to get involved with Club Rossie, whether it be as Bus Driver, Sponsor or a general helper they can email [email protected] or call 086 839 9584.

Thank you for your continued support,

The Club Rossie Committee

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This is what i mean by maximizing a counties assets through innovative thinking, the current county board simply do not posses the ability to think in this way, if they can't come up with new ideas they should look to bring in people who they think can bring the county forward then the above example for my money is the way to go

A really good idea fair play to them.
It would be interesting to see the figures associated with this.
in fairness to the county board there is 30 other county boards who didn't think of this either
How much do Offaly spend on team buses every year? (please don't reply that I have to attend a county board meeting to know that)

In reply to Offaly's Future, no you don't have to go to a county board meeting to get your answer, all you have to do is look at the County Board financial statement which is given out to clubs, press and everyone at Annual Convention and available to all!. In it it says that County Teams buses and accommodation for 2013 was 15,878 Euro. In 2012 it was 12,071 Euros. Coincidentally Players Travelling Expences for 2013 was 87,145 Euro and in 2012 was 82,691 Euro. Sportsgear,Equipment,Gym and Laundry was 123,575 Euro in 2013 and 92,684 Euro in 2012. In fact the total for County Teams Administration Expenses in 2013 was 467,979 Euro and in 2012 was 393,568 Euro. Value for money??? Hope this is of some use and remember this information is available to all, it is not a secret!!!!

Truesupporter wrote:In reply to Offaly's Future, no you don't have to go to a county board meeting to get your answer, all you have to do is look at the County Board financial statement which is given out to clubs, press and everyone at Annual Convention and available to all!. In it it says that County Teams buses and accommodation for 2013 was 15,878 Euro. In 2012 it was 12,071 Euros. Coincidentally Players Travelling Expences for 2013 was 87,145 Euro and in 2012 was 82,691 Euro. Sportsgear,Equipment,Gym and Laundry was 123,575 Euro in 2013 and 92,684 Euro in 2012. In fact the total for County Teams Administration Expenses in 2013 was 467,979 Euro and in 2012 was 393,568 Euro. Value for money??? Hope this is of some use and remember this information is available to all, it is not a secret!!!!

but not available on the official website.
Anyway the 15000 for buses and accommodation seems incredibly cheap. Fair play who ever brokered that deal.

I see from that article that Club Rossie have 2100 paying members.
Any idea what the outlay for each member is?

And is there any similar figures available from Club Faithful?

True Red wrote:I see from that article that Club Rossie have 2100 paying members.
Any idea what the outlay for each member is?

And is there any similar figures available from Club Faithful?

It ain't cheap, which is a testament to the level of support they get over here. (Between €108 and €228 per annum)

http://www.gaaroscommon.ie/clubrossie

What they don't mention is that clubs in the county were told by the county board that they had to sell a certain amount of them, regardless. Nothing like putting a gun to the head of the sellers to get things moving.

Lone Shark wrote:

http://www.gaaroscommon.ie/clubrossie

What they don't mention is that clubs in the county were told by the county board that they had to sell a certain amount of them, regardless. Nothing like putting a gun to the head of the sellers to get things moving.

Are you saying that is a good or a bad thing? Myself, I wouldn't be against it. Maybe we are too soft about these things and they have to be pushed hard.

I think you'll find clubs in Roscommon were given a number to aim for, depending on the membership size of the club.
anything above that they then got money back to the club

Tyrone have a serious fundraising arm - Club Tyrone.
If anyone ever wants to be wowed by a GAA facility, go up and visit their county training grounds. Mainly fundraised through their supporter.

The GAA should be pushing the government to make it tax efficient for someone to donate or leave in a will money to a GAA club or county board. As in, for a lump sum they get tax credits. For a will then it is not subject to inheritance tax.
Huge amount of money sitting in bank accounts that could be put to better use.

Yes, Club Tyrone is a brilliant operation and the Centre is a credit to them & the CB.

Each Club Tyrone member pays an annual fee. Its £500 or £700...

that's pounds sterling not €...............

and don't get anything, free jackets or gear or free into games, just the honour & glory of supporting their county and their name on a wall in the Centre.

So how are we fixed ???????????????????????????????

manfromdelmonte wrote:I think you'll find clubs in Roscommon were given a number to aim for, depending on the membership size of the club.
anything above that they then got money back to the club

Interesting - I must go back to the club on that here because they were sold on the basis that a certain minimum number had to be reached. Needless to say they didn't make any serious attempt to sell to the blow in from Offaly, but still, it's interesting to hear that if they went back with zero, there wouldn't have been any fine or sanction.

I may be wrong

they did have a draw for people who signed up, which kind of negates the whole point of it if you ask me.

I am not sure about what Rosscomman are doing,the letter sounds like the are defending themselves so not everyone is happy. If its such a good idea would other counties not be doing it.Now I know nothing about the cost of leasing a bus or should I say buses because I am sure one bus would not be enough. Have we 14 county teams from development squad to senior teams,maybe more? Would we even have enough in 2 buses maybe three.Take in the cost of drivers,Diesel,tax and insurance would it work out cheaper maybe it would.