Football

Derry treasurer resigns amid financial worries for Oak Leaf board

The Irish News understands there have been recent issues over the payment of players' expenses by Derry county board. The county's treasurer resigned at the weekend. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin.
The Irish News understands there have been recent issues over the payment of players' expenses by Derry county board. The county's treasurer resigned at the weekend. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin. The Irish News understands there have been recent issues over the payment of players' expenses by Derry county board. The county's treasurer resigned at the weekend. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin.

DERRY county board treasurer Michael Hasson has resigned amid the county reportedly suffering from financial difficulties.

The Banagher clubman, who had served a previous five-year stint in the role, stood down at the weekend.

He had stepped in when he was approached after the failure to appoint a treasurer at the 2018 convention.

Hasson took over after the role’s previous incumbent, Liam Peoples, declined to run for the position again after two years in the job. Previous incumbent, Pat Brennan, had also cut short his term.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of Hasson, Peoples or Brennan. All had struggled to arrest the growing spending demands, and several sources have described the role as “impossible”.

It’s understood that Hasson’s decision to resign was partly due to work commitments.

A meeting had been arranged in recent weeks between county board officials and officers in Croke Park to discuss the situation, but that meeting was cancelled. The reason for the cancellation is unclear.

The Irish News understands that the Oak Leaf county board has suffered from repeated cash flow issues during the summer over a period of several years.

It’s believed that there have been recent issues over payments of players’ expenses, although all payments are now up-to-date.

The bill for the county teams is believed to be on course to hit £600,000 for this year, up from £484,000 in 2018.

While the county board’s accounts from 2018 showed a surplus of £78,695, the net cash inflow showed a drop of just over £164,000 between 2017 and 2018.

The county’s net cash flow decreased by £93,590 in 2018, leaving their cash reserves at just £3,659 - down from £97,249 the previous year.

Several members last year left a finance committee that had been in place for almost a decade to offer advice and assistance to the county board.

Current outgoings are believed to be in the region of £65,000 to £70,000 per month, of which a portion is contributed directly by the county’s fundraising wing, Club Derry, to service the outstanding bank debt for the development of Owenbeg, which is in line to be completely paid off in 2020.

The county runs from the point of its National League dividend being paid, usually in May, until the start of the club championships in September largely off its reserves, with no meaningful income during that period.

Derry’s dividend from Division Four of the football league and 2B of the hurling series are expected to be smaller again this year than the 2018 figure of £45,152 paid by Croke Park.

That issue has been exacerbated in recent years by the county’s return to a straight knockout club championship.

That has in part led to cash flow problems, with further issues this year.

In response to a series of questions, including whether there are any plans to levy clubs, a spokesperson for Derry GAA said: "Any assertion that Derry GAA is in financial difficulties is simply untrue.

"Our accounts are published annually and tabled at the AGM with all transactions detailed.

"Our treasurer stepped down for personal reasons. Any attempt to portray that there is a wider issue is inaccurate and uninformed."