John Egan, the new chairman of the Dublin GAA County Board, has inherited a £1.7 million debt which is likely to occupy most of his thoughts in his first year in office. Indeed, the sheer scale of the debt surprised many club delegates at the county convention in Parnell Park on Saturday, with one opining that if they were shareholders at a company a.g.m. they'd be "looking for the directors' heads."
A comfortable winner of the chairman's position - beating closest rival Jim Roche by 176 votes to 94 on the second count, after Con Clarke and Willie Roche were eliminated on the first count - Egan, the outgoing Youths' officer and also the Hurling Development officer in Dublin, said he was confident the resources existed in the county to combat the financial burden.
Egan, who is principal at Haddington Road primary school, has been involved at county board level for 26 years, mainly in the promotion and administration of juvenile games. He is currently manager of Clanna Gael Fontenoy's under-15 team, a position he intends to maintain.
He played juvenile football with Whitehall Colmcilles and won his only county championship medal (which was stolen from his house last year) at under-21 level with Erin's Hope when he was a trainee teacher in Drumcondra. He switched affiliation to Clanna Gael when he became a teacher in Ringsend and has been a mainstay of Dublin 4's only club ever since.
"Becoming chairman is the pinnacle for anyone in administration," said Egan, "and I am determined to oversee the board coming to terms with its financial problems." He also believed it was time to change the existing structures to make things "more efficient" and that the onus was on administrators to provide "attractive and well organised games for our players."
However, the financial problems facing the board created most debate. The debt has been created by the redevelopment of Parnell Park and delegates were told that the county needed to raise £210,000 a year just to remain at its present level. Secretary John Costello said that one major fund-raising initiative was required and that Croke Park authorities had intimated a willingness to possibly hold a concert there to assist in alleviating the burden. Such an option is unavailable at Parnell Park due to planning restrictions.
John Bailey, who had filled the position of chairman for the previous five years, was returned as vice-chairman. "I don't want to walk away from this . . . you don't throw the bath out with the bath water," he said, adding "things are not as bleak or as bad as they look." He said the board needed to bring in around £250,000 a year.
However, Bailey failed to retain his position as Leinster Council delegate and, instead, county secretary Costello received a resounding endorsement from the clubs (elected on the first count with 197 votes) while Roche received some solace for his defeat in the chairmanship election by beating Bailey by 155 votes to 98 on the third count to retain his provincial seat.
The motions which generated most emotive debate concerned the transfer issue, something which one delegate said was "creating a premier league of clubs in Dublin, at the expense of smaller clubs." And there was a huge cheer when a motion from the St Mark's club received the necessary two-thirds majority which will halt a player transferring unless the consent of his club is obtained or if he has not played with his club for 12 months.
Officers: Chairman - J Egan (Clanna Gael Fontenoy). Vice-Chairman - J Bailey (Cuala). Assistant Secretary - S O'Mahony (Garda). Central Council delegate - G Brady (Parnells). Leinster Council delegates - J Costello (Erin's Isle), J Roche (Whitehall Colmcilles). Youth Officer - C Ni Cheallaigh (Fingallians). Oifigeach na Gaeilge - S O Caomhanach (Gael Naomh Sheamais).
