Mayo GAA plan 'exciting' new Centre of Excellence

Mayo GAA will commence work on a new Centre of Excellence next year in Bahola, comprising four playing pitches, dressing rooms, gym facilities and other ancillary facilities.

The development, which will be built on land donated by Bill Durcan, is set to cost in excess of €15million and a fundraising process will begin early in 2025.

To achieve this, Mayo GAA will seek to appoint a dedicated commercial manager to drive the project forward, develop new sponsorship opportunities and explore all available grants.

Mayo GAA chairperson Seamus Tuohy, speaking at the county's annual convention on Wednesday, underlined the importance of building the proposed start-of-the-art facility at this time.

"A Centre of Excellence can be the most exciting project ever undertaken by Mayo GAA and who is to say it won't prove to be the missing brick in our ultimate dream for this county since 1951," he said.

The gathering was also informed of the board's ongoing engagement with the Revenue Commissioners, this after Mayo GAA acknowledged that it is not in a position to sign off on its accounts for 2024.

The 2023 accounts registered a potential tax liability of €119,778, which Mayo say was a "legacy issue relating to outstanding tax liabilities from our Cúl Camp's programme in 2018 and 2019."

Mayo made a voluntary disclosure of that €119,778 figure to the Revenue Commissioners, who then requested further information in a 'wider review'.

Mayo GAA began its own voluntary review of the tax treatment it applies across a range of expenses paid in subsequent years, from 2020-2024. Mayo GAA took it upon itself to engage proactively with Revenue on this wider review.

At last night's convention, delegates were informed that the county board made a second