Northern Ireland

Single Dublin GAA club `social value' calculated as €50 million

Na Fianna GAC were set to lose their main pitch as part of the new Metrolink plans.
Na Fianna GAC were set to lose their main pitch as part of the new Metrolink plans. Na Fianna GAC were set to lose their main pitch as part of the new Metrolink plans.

A GAA club has had its social worth valued at €50 million after it was threatened with construction upheaveal.

Na Fianna GAA club at Glasnevin in Dublin commissioned the 'Social Value Report' following a proposal to use the club's grounds as part of the city's Metrolink construction.

Club chairman Cormac Ó Donnchú told RTÉ's Morning Ireland the findings were "amazingly positive" as the club struggles to communicate its value to the community.

The research was carried out by Whitebarn Consulting and has been endorsed by Social Value International, a global organisation which focuses on social impact and social value.

It calculates the value on volunteers and the time they put into the club and measures the return on social value investment.

The `investments' were valued at €3.5m, made up of €800,000 cash and 103,300 volunteer hours per year.

The figures reveal showed Na Fianna delivered €50m in social value, with every euro invested in it leading to a return of €15 in social value.

Mr Ó Donnchú told the show the findings are an affirmation for all volunteers in clubs who provide help to social, sporting and community facilities and show the unique offering of GAA clubs deliver "a remarkable channel and opportunity for investment".