A top Donegal GAA figure has called on his county board to halve the bill for the annual club levy in a year when incomes are virtually zero for clubs.
And St Eunan’s club chairman John Haran has suggested that cash-strapped clubs could possibly pay “half of the levy this year and the other half next year”.
His call comes after Naomh Conail chairman David Kelch called on the board to scrap this year’s levy to allow clubs to pay the full amount next year.
Kelch added that his club was prepared to engage with the county board to come to a resolution to a difficult issue.
Haran said: “We are the biggest club in the county and would be hardest hit but this is a problem for every club in Ulster and all over Ireland.
''We would welcome this deferral. The pandemic has hit all of us very hard.
“Everything is closed up and you would love to see young people out on the pitch playing, but there has been nothing happening.
“It is very frustrating.
‘But from a financial point of view so many clubs have no income for Lotto or Bingo or any kind of fund-raising and we still have bills to pay for the upkeep of the club as well as various levies to be paid including one to the county board.
“The grounds have to be cut, and we have to pay insurance and other levies as well and it will be difficult.”
When asked to respond to David Kelch’s call to scrap the levy for this year, he said: “I would probably be in favour of a bit of a deferral, as when you have no income and I know some clubs depend totally on Lotto and Bingo and how are they supposed to survive when these much-needed sources of income are no longer there.
“I fully respect that the county board is in difficulty too, trying to finish Convoy and have had a vital big House Draw put on hold so everyone’s in a difficult position.
“There is going to have to be a wee bit of give and take.
“If they could postpone it for a year or maybe pay half of it this year and the other half next year.
“As long as there is a wee bit of give and take, the clubs will support the county board, but I don’t think they can expect to get everything as normal as this has not been a normal year and everyone is finding it difficult”.
Meanwhile, Haran has backed his fellow ex Donegal star Kevin Cassidy in calling for GAA grounds to be opened before the designated July 20 date.
And the St Eunan’s chairman said he believed that underage and county football could start before clubs as matters improve in the pandemic.
But, are there bigger risks with allowing clubs back first, due to the difficulties in policing the numbers as previously raised by Donegal senior hurling team boss Mickey McCann?
“There is logic there and like the Premiership maybe it is easier to manage county players rather than club players,'' said Haran.
“Maybe it makes sense to go down that road, see how they get on and if it works out, then get the clubs gradually back in action.
“I love the club and would love the club to come first but I don’t want to take any chances with the safety of the players due to the difficulties of monitoring so many players”.
He added:
“I think they should bring forward the dates for opening the grounds.
“I would give It a few more weeks to see what the numbers in the infection rate.
“And say come June 10 or 12 and the figures are still good, I would still bring it forward and for the GAA to tell us that we will open up the pitches on June 12 or 15.
“Let the young fellows back out for a kick around and let people walk around grounds.
“Let them kick around in groups of four and well- spaced out with no changing room as long as all protocols are followed.
“A lot of the research is saying that younger children are not really carriers of the virus and there is less risk.
“The Cul Camps could take place so we could get the U-6, the U-8 and the U-10’s back out.
“If the figures are good, we have to bring dates forward, because it is causing mental health problems which is a bigger issue than money problems.
“So if the figures are good, the government can bring everything forward by three or four weeks”
