As you no doubt already know, the long-standing club and county development draw went online not that long ago. The online variant of this enabled those entering the development draw either to support their local club or the senior county training fund in doing so.
While the club development draw remains open in the old way – i.e. by physically buying a ticket from your club – for a while longer, the online version has now pivoted to become solely a method of fundraising for the senior county training fund.
This online option means that who have the capability and the inclination to provide financial support to the senior county training fund can do so over the web in multiples of €100. Many won’t be in the position to do this, I know, but a good number – perhaps scattered round the globe – will and the brutal truth is that if we want the team to continue to compete at the highest level, they’re going to need significant financial support to do so. And, let’s face it – we’re not the Dubs so the dosh required isn’t simply going to fall straight from the sky into the team’s coffers.
It goes without saying, of course, that we need to be far smarter as a county in terms of how we do fundraising – as that article by Darragh Ó Sé in yesterday’s Irish Times confirmed, showing at it did how active the likes of Kerry already are in this area – but fundraising comes in many variants. A hundred or two tipped online into the training fund won’t solve all of the county’s funding issues but it will still help. Anyone who wants to contribute in this way can do so here.
Hi, I live in New York and last year tryed to purchace tickets for the draws but was told that I could not purchase on line outside the Country of Ireland. Is this still the case?
Louise – You should be able to do it online from over there now using the link at the end of the post.
Given all these men are putting in to win an All Ireland, i would hope that anyone who can afford to, would purchase a ticket. €100 seems like a lot, but say for instance, if you were planning on going out this weekend, stay in & give the money you would have given the barman to these guys. The joy they have given is all over the last few years, they absolutely deserve it. Mayo forever
Anyone know of any fundraising activities or functions that will take place in the UK? I have a few friends over there asking. Also going bs k to our last NY trip…do we know what we raised? The noisy neighbours done well out of it. I hope next time round it is better organised and a bigger venue is hired. Kerry GAA hired a function room in the plaza last year.
I’m a positive person regarding all things Mayo, however, when it comes to fundraising my f-ing blood boils. In the same week that Daragh O’Shea gives the country an insight into the fundraising activities of Kerry, we go and launch the electronic equivalent of the USA biscuit tin. I know people will say its a step in the right direction, but like the players lotto last year, its a Mickey Mouse effort that will raise peanuts. The players lotto raised €7k last year, equivalent to a club side. You only have to look back a few posts and you’ll see posters asking is there anything happening in London, how can I contribute in the USA. These people shouldn’t have to come on here and ask for that info, I can guarantee Kerry or Tyrone people don’t have to ask where or how they contribute.
This latest initiative might raise €10k, that’s the price 1 table costs at the GPA event in NYC or what a businessman would write a cheque for in London. We have to get away from this small minded fundraising mentality and start using the corporate world like Dublin, Kerry, Tyrone and all the others. When Roscommon had their fundraiser in NYC they didn’t collect at the door with a biscuit tin, they got large donations from companies and wealthy individuals that are tax deductible. These guys donating €10k for a table at a function aren’t giving it out of their own pockets, their companies are.
As supporters we already give €200 a year for the Cairde, most play the players lotto, we support our own clubs, who also have to contribute from their resources to the County Board to the tune of several thousand. I’ve no problem paying my share, but I’m getting sick of being milked all the time and taken for a fool because the CB can’t get their act together and fundraise properly. It’s all well and good being a top 4 team on the field, but it’s no good being a Div 4 team in the finance department.
Liam I tend to side with you and guess it is distrust of the CB.
Is there an actual training fund? It was suggested here a few months back that the lotto money goes into CB coffers so will obviously firstly go to the Bank. Now I know the CB will argue that if you don’t pay the bills you cannot fund a team but the waste and messing around the development leaves a lot of people cold when it comes to putting hands in pocket.
Who manages the actual training fund? And why this different from the club draw? surely the clubs don’t want the senior team eating into their big fundraiser.
A little more detail would be welcome because I would like to contribute. we have wasted 5 years of fundraising opportunities with our brilliant team through the incompetence in the boardroom
Liam – I believe Mayo GAA have at least one or two big contributors who “donate” to the kitty. We would not be keeping the show on the road sort of speak if we did not.
Folks,
i’ve had discussions with another proud Mayo man which admittedly were no more than that, but it involved perhaps getting people together to organise things, help with fundraising, or at least provide the County Board with some ideas or something to help with this process.
I think it is possible that the County Board may distance themselves from any external efforts, so it would need to have the blessing of the county board before it runs into the sandbanks as have other efforts – I believe there was something along those lines with the Mayo Association Dublin previously.
Would there be much interest from people to form such a group and discuss what we could do with the County Board?. Compared to other County Boards, they clearly need some help on this.
The temptation would be to paddle one’s own canoe without the CB but lets face it, if they publically dismiss things like they have done in the past, then it just won’t work.
ideas on a postcard….
@FBD
The first step in solving any problem is acknowledging you have a problem.
I do however expect some fluff piece by a sympathetic writer in a local paper in the coming weeks exalting the successes of our fundraising trip to London with a picture of some CB member dislocating his shoulder while patting himself on the back for raising €20k.
The first and second county and club development draws are down for taking place in May. Does anybody know where and when these draws are taking place. Surely next weekend in London would be an ideal time to sign some London based supporters up for the draw. That won’t happen though if 2 rounds of the draw having taken place before we go over.
I also think it’s time the county board and supporters start pulling together for the good of the county. We have some good men in county board now and I think it would be good if they could engage more with supporters and listen to what they are saying, what harm could it do, they might enhance their own reputations and get some good and not so good ideas while their at it. When the sun in shining is the time to make the hay.
Finally it is good to see several players promoting this draw today on Twitter.
Liam is 100% correct, and I have had conversation with him a million times! Us mere mortals are absolutely schlepped paying into everything to do with Mayo Gaa for us to hear the same rhetoric that “we are financially at a loss at the close of season”. Oh and “how can we Possibly compete against the Dublin and Kerry’s of this world in financial means”. I know several (I am sure most people on here do too!) business people in the U.K who at a whim would donate in the region of Tens of Thousands Sterling each if they could be guaranteed by the county board that it would go to the players fund (at all levels and codes, not just the senior footballers) but they cannot be guaranteed that, as the county board would have full access to the funds once transferred into their coffers. This is not an anti County Board rant by the way, just cold hard facts.
Sharoize and Eoin O’Donoghue on the Junior team for Sunday. Great to see. Think more lads should do the same and get an intercounty season in.
Yeah its great to see that alright, some more of our U21 players getting game time with the Juniors. Best of luck to all involved with the team.
FBDinashui
I too had talks with a proud mayo man about this situation and would be massively interested in helping .
my thesis is is this , The Dubs are sponsored by the bank that was too big to fail , we are sponsored by a company that could barely pay its staff , we need to get a serious sponsor.
Willie Joe will give you my details
Agreed..whatever plan is put in place has to have the blessing of the County Board. It has to be remembered also that it’s a lot easier for Counties who have won several All-Irelands to identify a face to front a campaign of this nature. Kerry just give the O’Shea’s brothers a few quid for shopping in New York, tell them pin on their Celtic crosses and ask for a little dosh cause it’s the only way they’ll ever get back to Croker. There household names, every one knows them, come championship time every one wants a piece… not so simple for us. Fund raising is a thankless job at the best of times.. been part of a half arsed one would be a total boor altogether. Just saying this needs to be well thought out, get the commitment of the people to front it.. has to be a broad range of high profile people (the real Willie Joe, Cora, the 51 survivers, AOS, and the U21).. create a banner..
I purchased a ticket in this draw early in the month but looking again at the details it is the lack of detail which is remarkable. Firstly there are two draws in May without any dates being given. But as this is already the 19th I imagine anybody buying now has already missed the first draw. Secondly no dates or other details, draw venues etc, are given for any of the draws. Details of prizes for draws 1, 5 & 6 are given but no details for draws 2, 3 & 4 which leads me to suspect that the prizes for these draws are fairly small. Perhaps not, but why not say so?
The entire does not amount to a very convincing sales pitch.
Why the Co Board officials cannot be upfront and announce a convincing sales / fund raising plan which draws in our diaspora is beyond me. I cannot imagine this approach being tolerated at club level, the questions would be endless. Are no questions asked at Co Board meetings by club delegates? I am living outside the county without any close connections at home so information is slack. But is there no home based contributor to this site who is a Co Board delegate or who knows what is happening at Co Board? If so please speak up.
I do believe the amounts of money spent on senior county teams is ridiculous and will continue to spiral out of control. This is money which would be better spent at grass roots level. It will come to a stage where the GAA will have to step in and limit the amount of money a county can spend on its senior team and this couldnt come soon enough. Its an amateur sport after all and no team should hold a financial advantage over the others.
Just catching up with some of the stuff recorded in the site WJ ….all the teams and results etc back to when. It’s incredible. I don’t know how you’ve managed all this and I have to say that an awful lot of people are greatly indebted to you.
I even have spotted an uncle of mine in the 1916/19 teams. And I recall my father telling the story of how he jucked a place on the train to Dub with the team, hiding under one of the seats and how his brother used to wear a hard hat on his head to keep the sun out of his eyes! And at that time apparently players had the option of punching the ball out from the goal on the restarts…..and did that ball travel out the field? And that was a ball that was thrown up in the air and hit with the front of the fist on its way down!
He would have been with us in 1975 in Cbar for that great Sligo day. He was very accepting of the fortunes of Mayo football always and wouldn’t ever be heard to be critical of any of the players.Of course he had been there for 1936 and all the glory of that period and then 50/51…and so he could well be stoical. If the team were below par as so often they were, according to him they were ” pacing themselves” and indeed I lived a good part of my life believing this and that Mayo could win any game if they were only bothered . When he had not been at a game in later years he would always inquire as to how they got on …v often the report was bad but his reaction always was an accepting …Ahhh! I think I’m sure I never offered him the pacing excuse and I wonder what his rx would have been if I had. I’d like to think he’d have given me one of his very gamey smiles.
Tks again for the memories WJ.
@AndyD
The Any Other Business part of the county board meetings have been discontinued. This was the part of the meeting that usually allowed delegates to raise matters such as fundraising and things that may have cropped up in between meetings. The reason given was that it had turned into a free for all and accusations were being made etc etc.
The real reason it was removed was that too many awkward questions were being asked and they couldn’t control things. You now have to submit your questions in advance to be added to the agenda, giving them plenty of time to come up with answers.
To the poster who said its easy for Kerry to fundraise because they have big names etc, what big names did Roscommon have that allowed them raise €300k? What big names did Cavan have to allow them raise €160k? WJ Padden, Liam McHale, Aiden O’Shea, David Brady, Ciaran McDonald, are these lads not all household names in any GAA circles? How did Dessie Farrell raise €600k for the GPA? Armagh, Monaghan, Tyrone, Galway, every single county in Ireland goes out to the States and raise six figure sums.
One decent fundraiser in the States would allow a 50% reduction in the levy every club in the county pays to the CB for a year. That’s serious money that could be invested in coaching, equipment and pitches at grassroots. I can’t understand why more people aren’t infuriated by this.
Club Rossie have made a very good start at this so far. They have good local and overseas advisors on board coordinating the fund raising activity. It’s smooth and professional. It’s corporate and fan based. Reading some of the comments it might appear that some posters expect all this should start overseas. Trust me this one has to start in mayo. Mayo is a lovely place old fashioned, qute, and above all else conservative. The required changes will come, not saying what year yet. In the meantime I will continue to buy my co bo draw ticket and the cairde ticket while I support the lads and pray that some of our decision makers talk to the roscommon lads about fund raising.
Just supported foireann Mhuigheo.
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Bigi le foireann Mhuigheo!
Roger Milla – we know each other already as it happens – check my initials!.
Will reach out to you via a very well known Social Media tool….