The social finance model offers tailored support to volunteer-led, community-focused organisations like GAA clubs to achieve their long-term goals. That’s according to Community Finance Ireland (CFI) who urged GAA clubs across the island of Ireland consider social finance when thinking about how to sustain and grow their club into the future.
CEO of Community Finance Ireland, Dónal Traynor said: “I’ve been involved in GAA clubs my whole life, and I’ve seen first-hand, both in my own community, and by working with clubs through Community Finance Ireland, what a valuable role they fill as a community hub. I’ve also seen the challenges they can face to fundraise for new equipment or kit, improved facilities and, beyond financial supports, how vital it is for clubs to invest in their future people too.
“GAA clubs are more than the teams who line out every week – they’re the coaching staff, the groundskeepers and kit team, the hospitality staff, the bus drivers, the board members and those tireless volunteers who rise to every task at hand. The heritage of a club relies on these people, and it’s important that clubs invest in the future of those volunteers just as they would look to the future of their senior panel.
“Passing on the baton to the younger generation coming up – both on and off the pitch – is vital for the sustainability of a club and through the hands-on support from our team at Community Finance Ireland, clubs can rely on fair and flexible social finance solutions that can help them become self-sustainable as a club and community hub.”
Between 2016 and 2021, CFI has supported 73 GAA clubs across the island of Ireland to the tune of £3.2million in Northern Ireland and €5.1million in the Republic of Ireland.
Supporting GAA Clubs On and Off the Pitch
Mr Traynor was speaking at the launch of a new Community Finance Ireland five-part webinar series ‘Supporting GAA Clubs On and Off the Pitch’ focusing on how clubs can invest in their infrastructure and their people to ensure the sustainability of their club, and as a result, their county.
The webinar series will be hosted by Off the Ball sports reporter Aisling O’Reilly. Each event will focus on a different part of the island with a panel of speakers from local GAA clubs.
The first webinar will focus on the challenges faced by GAA clubs in Northern Ireland, where Community Finance Ireland was first established as the UCIT Group in 1995. Speaking at the webinar at 7pm on Thursday, 19th May are Michael Kane, Kilcoo GAC Public Relations Officer, Sinead Reel, Chairperson of Armagh Ladies’ GAA County Board, and Phelim Sharvin, Head of Community Finance Ireland NI. To attend, register here: https://communityfinanceireland.com/join-us-for-our-webinar-series-supporting-gaa-clubs-on-and-off-the-pitch/
The next webinar of the series will take place on Thursday, 26th May, taking in South Ulster and North Leinster. Details of the following three webinars will be announced soon.
Kilcoo GAC, Co. Down
The webinar series was launched at the home of All-Ireland Club Champions and GAA Club Player of the Year, Kilcoo GAC, who were recipients of social finance support from Community Finance Ireland in 2018 to help the build and provision of following facilities for their members: a fully equipped kitchen, changing facilities as-well as IT facilities.
Speaking at the launch of the webinar series, Roger Morgan, Kilcoo GAC Chairman said: “Our commitment to the investment of our Club and its facilities is at the heart of our promise to make a community hub for everyone. Community Finance Ireland understood this commitment and were a key partner in helping us create facilities that are for today and tomorrows volunteers, players and fans of the game”.
For more information visit www.communityfinanceireland.com.