Generosity of JP McManus applauded by club delegates

Westmeath County Committee Chairman Frank Mescall gave details as to how the €1m donation from JP McManus will be distributed when addressing the matter at the January meeting in the Mullingar Park Hotel.

There are 47 clubs in the county, plus 29 ladies football clubs. Camogie clubs account for 15 and that means a total of 91 clubs, it was explained.

Mr Mescall thanked JP McManus for his remarkable gesture.

“I just want to welcome that contribution (and acknowledge) the generosity of the man. It’s unbelievable that he suffered a backlash, if you like, because of his generosity, with regard to tax issues and that. People have very little to do except complain, instead of welcoming it. There are many, many other successful businessmen and it wouldn’t enter their domain to do it. So, really, really generous of him,” he remarked.

Delegates afforded McManus an enthusiastic round of applause.

Aiden McGuire of The Downs acknowledged the generosity of JP McManus and called for clubs to put the funding towards a centre of excellence for the county.

“There are many others who wouldn’t think of that (donating) and he has done lots of other things down in Limerick and other places, totally unrecorded and behind the scenes, and I would compliment his generosity on all fronts,” he remarked.

“We as a club have had a meeting and out of that, what we are going to say now mightn’t rest too easy with some clubs. But I think the presentation of €1m to Westmeath GAA is a fantastic opportunity; I would say a once in a lifetime opportunity for Westmeath GAA, as a unit, to make the big leap of faith that we have been waiting to make for so long. We are so far behind the curve in relation to our open centre of excellence.

“We haven’t got one and lots of other counties, who would be less well off than us as a county, have made that leap of faith. I know people would say, ‘the money is given to clubs’, and it is. But we as a club feel that the money given to us would be well served if it was given towards a centre of excellence, of which there is an announcement on the progress of that very imminent. There has been a lot of work done and completed and it’s almost there, I believe. You can correct me if I’m wrong.

“I know people will say, The Downs must be a very wealthy club to say they can forgo just under €11,000; that’s not the case. We have commitments the same as every other club in Westmeath. We have a debt to service. But I would point out, nobody in this room had €11,000 in November; nobody in this room had a budget for €11,000 to spend.

“So therefore, what I’m saying is, if that money is put to use, it will be an investment in Westmeath GAA for all units, including camogie and the LGFA.

“I would ask and implore of clubs to think very strongly about that.

LEVY

“Because when the acquisition of lands for the centre of excellence comes about, it will have to be paid for. Who’s going to pay for it? We as clubs will have to, the very same as we paid for Cusack Park when it was redeveloped. Those payments lasted the guts of a decade by way of club levies. You can call it what you like: a levy, a donation, a contribution. But it is going to have to be paid for.

“The recent fundraiser, Quid Game, netted €170,000 or thereabouts; you’d have to run 10 of those in order to pay for it. You’d be fairly weary after running two or three of them. It’s money we never had; it’s money we will never miss, per se.

“So I would implore on clubs to think long and hard.

“Obviously, if they make that donation, or contribution to the centre of excellence, I would be saying those clubs would be exempt from any potential levy or commitment to raise funds for a centre of excellence.”

Peter O’Halloran, Garrycastle, while acknowledging it may be a good idea, said it would be twisting the parameters of what is laid down regarding how the money is to be spent. “We’d want to be fairly sure if it is going into a centre of excellence,” he added.

“We have had that debate in our club; it’s very strict in what it is laid down for. It’s wellbeing and all those sort of issues. So we’d want to be very, very sure.”

Frank Mescall said wellbeing is a very broad term and said the guidelines regarding how the money is to be spent are quite specific, whether it or not it goes to what Aiden McGuire suggested.

Andy Walshe, Shandonagh, noted there are stipulations regarding how the money is to be used, referring to inclusion and promotion of games for local clubs. He felt clubs could be asked to contribute to a fund specifically for a centre of excellence at a later stage, but the €1m would have to paid to clubs.

“I don’t want us to get into any hassle over that,” he remarked.

“If we knew there was a ring-fenced fund for a centre of excellence, at a certain stage during the year, you could ask clubs to contribute to that fund. But the money JP McManus gave is for the promotion (of games) and inclusivity in sport. It’s just an idea.”

Mr Mescall quipped: “I couldn’t ask for it: I could accept it, but I couldn’t ask for it, definitely couldn’t. He (JP McManus) is very clear on it: it’s to (go to) the grass roots of our association; it’s to the clubs. He didn’t decide to give it to the county boards, or to Croke Park. He picked our basic unit, the club. Now, of course this hand would be very willing to accept.”

The chairman said he is hopeful there will be news on the centre of excellence in the coming weeks. Patrick Doherty, head of operations, said in terms of ring-fencing, if the money was to come back, Westmeath GAA would be quite prepared to ring-fence it for the clubs. The chairman said, regarding inclusion, the LGFA and camogie associations have been kept fully updated on what’s taking place regarding the centre of excellence. “It’s a project for all of Westmeath GAA, ladies and men,” he added.