GAA's new funding model aims to redress the imbalance

The GAA's new multi-million Games Development budget model will be unveiled in the coming weeks, with GAA Director Tom Ryan stating it should deliver for all counties.

At the publication of the GAA's 2021 financial report, it was confirmed that a strategic plan for the association will be launched shortly, including the thorny issue of funding distribution through the Games Development budget.

From 2007-2020 Dublin received more than €21m, a proportion of development funding that exceeded its share of the population in the 26 counties (39% to 28%).

It was revealed that Dublin received €1.189m in 2021, with the next closest county Meath receiving €711,032.

Dublin’s dominance of the Leinster and All-Ireland senior football championships over the past decade, and the county’s superior commercial income, has led to questions about whether the policy is still necessary.

"It's clear over the course of the last couple of years that we needed to do something about it and revise it," Ryan said today.

Last December, a number of counties proposed motions to GAA Congress that would ensure games development funding is calculated based on membership numbers.

At that time, Ryan wrote to county chairs to tell them that a sub-group of the association's Games Development Committee was devising a new model and mechanism for the distribution of coaching and games funding.

A final decision on that new model will be made by Central Council at a meeting on the eve of Congress at the end of the month, while a separate proposal to distribute the funding solely based on player numbers will also be discussed by Central Council.

"The overall funding framework will be different to what went before in that it will ensure investment is needs-based, and content