Fermanagh is the cheapest county on the island of Ireland in which to play GAA – with membership fees in Northern Ireland on average cheaper than in the Republic.
The Irish Independent surveyed more than 250 clubs, north and south of the border, to ascertain how annual membership fees compare between counties in a cross-border survey of GAA clubs.
The price of membership for juveniles in Fermanagh ranges on average between £4.30 (around €5) to £19.79 (€23) and £19.79 (€23) to £30.12 (€35) for adults.
It is the cheapest of all 32 counties on the island. This is in sharp contrast to the Irish capital of Dublin, which has 134 clubs. Juveniles there pay the highest fees on the island, with annual fees costing between £47.50 (€55) to £214.80 (€250).
Overall, it is cheapest to play as an adult in the nine counties of Ulster, where players can pay between around £12.91 (€15) and around £206.51 (€240) each year. Donegal is the cheapest Republic of Ireland county for both children and adults in Ulster, costing between €10-€30 and €30-€75, respectively.
In Northern Ireland, Antrim is the second cheapest. Annual membership for juveniles ranges from £9.41 (€11) to £30.11 (€35). Antrim is the leading hurling county in Ulster with 51 GAA clubs, ranges between £19.71 (€23) to £80.01 (€93).
Fee ranges for adults in Northern Ireland started at: Armagh at £39.58 (€46), Antrim at £19.71 (€23), Fermanagh at £19.71 (€23), Tyrone at £14.63 (€17), Derry at £14.63 (€17) and Down at £40.43 (€47).
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The average starting fee for the 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland is €60 (£51.62), ranging from the lowest at €20 (£17.21) for Offaly and Monaghan to €160 (£137.66) for Dublin.
However, both Armagh and Down had the widest ranges, with the most expensive adult membership in Armagh at £241.60 (€281), which exceeds the most expensive membership found in Dublin at €280.
Similarly, the most expensive club surveyed in Down for adults was £204.62 (€238), which was only exceeded price-wise by clubs in Dublin in the Republic of Ireland.
It comes following a resurgence in Ulster dominance in the All-Ireland football championships, with Armagh taking home the Sam Maguire Cup for the second time in its history.
However, an Ulster GAA spokesperson told the Irish Independent that “membership fees alone are not a significant factor in the recent success of Ulster GAA teams”.
The governing authority said that it is the “combined fundraising efforts across all aspects of club activity” which it said are, “undoubtedly a factor”.
Fans celebrate as the Sam Maguire arrives in Armagh for the first time in 22 years
Just as in the Republic of Ireland, Ulster GAA said the setting of membership fees “is a matter for the club alone” and is determined by an individual club’s Executive Committee and ratified at the club’s Annual General meeting (AGM).
As well as membership fees, clubs may have other sources of income such as sponsorship, fundraising initiatives, cairde schemes and grant income.
It also stressed that all GAA club income is reinvested back into club activities to aid the provision of sporting, cultural and well-being opportunities for all.
Ulster GAA treasurer, Declan Woods, said earlier this year that 83 cent of every euro goes back out into clubs to “help fund developments such as infrastructure projects.”
The body said expenditure items will vary but are likely to include: playing equipment, venue hire, insurance, affiliation fees, ground maintenance and utilities.
Earlier this year, 179 clubs from Ulster were awarded record funding of almost €700,000 through Ulster GAA’s ‘Club Infrastructure Development Grant scheme’ for 2023.
The scheme assists clubs in the improvement and development of their physical infrastructure, with capital works completed between October 2021 and September 2023 eligible for support.
A total of 126 teams across the six Northern Irish counties shared €475,511 of that funding, contributing towards areas such as the purchase of grounds and pitch development .
Tyrone, which had 39 clubs avail of €166, 371 of that funding, the highest of any county, has one of the lowest fees for adults looking for annual membership, starting at £14.63 (€17) up to £136.67 (€159).
Juveniles in the county pay between £24.94 (€29) and £60.16 (€70) for annual membership, making it cheaper than 18 or nearly 70pc of the counties in the Republic of Ireland.
Senior lecturer at Technological University Dublin Brian J Murphy, who previously wrote about the importance of GAA clubs and its link to communities, said expensive fees can prove a barrier to entry for some, “particularly when it comes to those from financially challenged backgrounds”.
In response to the survey, Prof Murphy said he would “welcome” a cap on membership fees.
“Given the importance that the GAA places on inclusion, such a cap would help ensure that GAA activities are accessible to all, regardless of financial circumstances,” he said.
He stressed the importance of clubs maintaining affordability, acknowledging that club running costs “can prove more expensive in some locations”.
“There may be particular pressures on clubs who have expanded dramatically in recent years,” he told the Irish Independent, noting urban sprawl.
“Such clubs may find themselves in constant need of more pitch space and structural facilities in areas where both come at a premium.
“The servicing of loans needed to provide such facilities may be a factor in terms of differences in fee structure,” he said.
However, he conceded that given the many benefits that members receive, “for the majority, it seems that membership fees provide good value for money”.