club membership fees timing

sdraobs · 05-09-2019 11:01am #1

do gaa club membership fees run from January 1st till December 31st or is it twelve months from when you pay.

Ive to sign up a few kids and wonder if ill be hit again on the 1st January for membership fees again, or will the membership last for 12 months from now and thus i wont have to pay till next September.

im too embarrased to ask the club as its only 280euro.

tks

Poor_old_gill · 05-09-2019 11:05am

€280 is a fair whack - how many kids is that for?

Also the fee would cover January to January from all my dealings

Jimbob1977 · 05-09-2019 11:08am

GAA membership is based on a January to December calendar. It's not a rolling twelve months.

If you paid your membership in October 2019, it would fall due in January 2020 again.

Croke Park require a list of members by March 31st (or something like that) for insurance purposes.

Clubs will accept late members. Membership cash is the lifeblood of any club and they are delighted to get it.

In theory, you can't vote at a Club AGM if you are not registered by 31st March, but the enforcement is light touch.

Jimbob1977 · 05-09-2019 11:09am

€280 could only be a Dublin club!!! That's a big fee for a GAA Club.

KevIRL · 05-09-2019 11:14am

Am gonna guess the 280 is a typo and the actual figure is 28 euro.

sdraobs · 05-09-2019 11:19am

not a typo, 140 euro for a kildare commute belt club. two kids at 140euro is 280euro. sure ill take the hit and pay it again in january if it as you suggest january to january. then ill get 12 months when i pay in january

if thats alot, what are the kids rates for clubs outside Dublin/kildare.

Poor_old_gill · 05-09-2019 11:20am

140 per kid is absolutely extortionate.

Do they get some free gear? Do they get fed after training for that money?

jimmy86 · 05-09-2019 11:22am

My club in Galway is €50 for Senior players, €25 for Non-Players, €20 for Students/Juveniles

sdraobs · 05-09-2019 11:23am

heres the proof:

140 from U9s.

http://www.naasgaa.ie/contentPage/347512/club_membership

sdraobs · 05-09-2019 11:24am

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

140 per kid is absolutely extortionate.

Do they get some free gear? Do they get fed after training for that money?

no, but they have the benefit of paying 2euro for each training session. and volunteers coming around looking to sell lottery tickets and sponsorship cards.

racso1975 · 05-09-2019 11:24am

20 here for juveniles and 50 if you havw nore then 3. Even local rugby club is 60 per child and 200 for family. Your club must have sone serious overheads or are using membership instead of fundraising to pay County board

cocoman · 05-09-2019 11:24am

sdraobs wrote: »

not a typo, 140 euro for a kildare commute belt club. two kids at 140euro is 280euro. sure ill take the hit and pay it again in january if it as you suggest january to january. then ill get 12 months when i pay in january

if thats alot, what are the kids rates for clubs outside Dublin/kildare.

€110 per kid in a Co Galway club which I think is a lot higher than other clubs in the same county.

Poor_old_gill · 05-09-2019 11:25am

jimmy86 wrote: »

My club in Galway is €50 for Senior players, €25 for Non-Players, €20 for Students/Juveniles

My home club in Kerry is €120 for seniors and €60 for kids - and I think we are one of the most expensive, if not the most, in Kerry

Poor_old_gill · 05-09-2019 11:27am

sdraobs wrote: »

heres the proof:

140 from U9s.

http://www.naasgaa.ie/contentPage/347512/club_membership

Adult, Student & Juvenile membership are all the same amount? That's nuts.

Also why do they bother with 3 line items- just call it membership if it's all the same price.

That's robbery

SusanC10 · 05-09-2019 11:28am

€170 per year total for 2 Kids. No additional Fees per Training Session. North Leinster.

Jimbob1977 · 05-09-2019 11:33am

I don't think you should identify your club by posting its website.

People talk.

Poor_old_gill · 05-09-2019 11:36am

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

I don't think you should identify your club by posting its website.

People talk.

That carry on needs to be exposed - pure robbery

kippy · 05-09-2019 11:37am

People tend to have a right moan about GAA fees yet don't seem to have problems paying far more (per session) for other activities.

Kids tend to get at least 30 "sessions" (one session a week for 30 odd weeks) for their membership generally, works out at extremely good value per session. This is even better value as the kids ages and number of sessions go up.

The facility cost is usually a big part of any club membership cost, I know a number of clubs who have invested significantly and have substantial debt around their facilities - in order to cater for growing local populations.
The ongoing running costs of a club are significant and again, there's plenty people complain and moan, but if they wanted to change things and do a better job, there's a fairly easy way to do that.

PatrickSmithUS · 05-09-2019 11:38am

What's the average membership these days?

mightyreds · 05-09-2019 11:39am

How much is two mile house , kill or eadestown all within a 5-10 minutes drive of naas I doubt it's 280 for 2 kids.

€75 for a full family in my club Robertstown only 15 minutes out the road.

Poor_old_gill · 05-09-2019 11:40am

kippy wrote: »

People tend to have a right moan about GAA fees yet don't seem to have problems paying far more (per session) for other activities.

Kids tend to get at least 30 "sessions" (one session a week for 30 odd weeks) for their membership generally, works out at extremely good value per session. This is even better value as the kids ages and number of sessions go up.

The facility cost is usually a big part of any club membership cost, I know a number of clubs who have invested significantly and have substantial debt around their facilities - in order to cater for growing local populations.
The ongoing running costs of a club are significant and again, there's plenty people complain and moan, but if they wanted to change things and do a better job, there's a fairly easy way to do that.

The club are charging a training fee on top of the membership - that's nothing other than a pat down

Jimbob1977 · 05-09-2019 11:42am

My club in Munster

Juvenile €40
Adult €80
Family membership (two parents and unlimited children) €120

Very good value

rpurfield · 05-09-2019 11:53am

Ours was either €260 or €280 that was membership for two kids, full membership (with voting rights) for one parent and a social membership for the other. Subs aren't collected during the year for training so I think it's ok. By comparison the kids also play rugby and I've to pay €80 a season for them both, or €100 if i wanted to be a member too, and €5 a week subs.

Past30Now · 05-09-2019 11:58am

My own club charges €192 per annum for a single player, think its €70 for nursery or €384 for family membership. Includes a lotto subscription. It's good value as far as I'm concerned. Kids train twice a week, for in excess of 40 weeks of the year, plus 20-30 matches a year depending on age grade. Effective cost in the region of €2 to €3 per session/game. Having paid for Ballet, Ballroom, Soccer, and various other activities over the years, I don't feel that I'm being ripped off. Dublin Club.

dobman88 · 05-09-2019 12:25pm

€130 for a senior playing member in my club. It comes down in price for unemployed, students and underage but not 100% sure of each price.

When I lived at home in Kerry it was €80 for a senior player, €60 for unemployed or student. €30 for a kid.

€140 for a kid is absolute robbery.

kippy · 05-09-2019 12:34pm

Poor_old_gill wrote: »

The club are charging a training fee on top of the membership - that's nothing other than a pat down

Missed that piece - that wouldn't be common in fairness.

show me the money.1 · 05-09-2019 12:57pm

Insurance might be the reason some clubs make it compulsory and include in the annual fee, others leave it up to the individual.

Edgware · 05-09-2019 1:02pm

sdraobs wrote: »

not a typo, 140 euro for a kildare commute belt club. two kids at 140euro is 280euro. sure ill take the hit and pay it again in january if it as you suggest january to january. then ill get 12 months when i pay in january

if thats alot, what are the kids rates for clubs outside Dublin/kildare.

You shouldnt take the hit. A family orientated club should be able to work out the ratio for a three month or four month membership.The treasurer shuld be able to do the sums.
If they dont put a motion before the first A.G.M. you are entitled to attend to amend the rule

celt262 · 05-09-2019 1:16pm

My Club €30 for adults, €20 Students/OAPS and €10 for Juvenile.

kippy · 05-09-2019 1:37pm

Edgware wrote: »

You shouldnt take the hit. A family orientated club should be able to work out the ratio for a three month or four month membership.The treasurer shuld be able to do the sums.
If they dont put a motion before the first A.G.M. you are entitled to attend to amend the rule

Yeah, the treasurer has feck all else to be doing in fairness.

Hannibal_Smith · 05-09-2019 1:53pm

We're €60 per child, with a discount for the 2nd/3rd etc. We pay a couple of euro a week for subs, goes towards paying refs apparently, jerseys, team outings apparently. Our renewals are due by March I think.

I would ask them whether they can knock it down for the last couple of months of the year.

ArielAtom · 05-09-2019 2:16pm

I pay €305.00 for two non playing adults, a 16 and 17 yr old. For me it is great value, training twice a week, 3g pitch for winter, gym session once a week, discount in bar. Dublin club.

searay · 05-09-2019 3:06pm

The difference between clubs is vast. Our club, in the Midlands, increased underage membership from €5 to €10 per child 2 years ago and there were complaints.

This year's fees are €10 per child, €50 per family. There are no ongoing contributions. The club runs a lotto but I don't think there are too many contributors. I think the club should charge more. At €30 per child and €150 per family, parents and kids would still be getting good value.

The local soccer club charges €100 for the first child and weekly contribution of €2 for astro or referees.

I find it hard to understand what they do with the €140 per child. In our club all underage teams are coached by parents, like myself who volunteer to do so. We've never paid referees for matches up to under 10 levels. I'd be concerned the club are missing out on kids whose parents see it as bad value or are struggling.

kippy · 05-09-2019 3:12pm

searay wrote: »

The difference between clubs is vast. Our club, in the Midlands, increased underage membership from €5 to €10 per child 2 years ago and there were complaints.

This year's fees are €10 per child, €50 per family. There are no ongoing contributions. The club runs a lotto but I don't think there are too many contributors. I think the club should charge more. At €30 per child and €150 per family, parents and kids would still be getting good value.

The local soccer club charges €100 for the first child and weekly contribution of €2 for astro or referees.

I find it hard to understand what they do with the €140 per child. In our club all underage teams are coached by parents, like myself who volunteer to do so. We've never paid referees for matches up to under 10 levels. I'd be concerned the club are missing out on kids whose parents see it as bad value or are struggling.

The reality in most clubs is that their juvenile membership fees support the overall running costs of the club, which usually involve senior club costs.
Then, as mentioned earlier, many clubs are spending significant money on facilities which may or may not be a historic costs that is spread out over a number of years.
Again, every club is different with different funding streams and facilities but I generally think that it's a value for money activity for kids and even more so as they get older where the club pay a larger number of costs towards supporting them.

franglan · 05-09-2019 6:10pm

dobman88 wrote: »

€130 for a senior playing member in my club. It comes down in price for unemployed, students and underage but not 100% sure of each price.

When I lived at home in Kerry it was €80 for a senior player, €60 for unemployed or student. €30 for a kid.

€140 for a kid is absolute robbery.

Where's the club. Myself western club 60 euro for adult playing membership. Training 3 times a week. Typically Jan to December unfortunately due to relegation/promotion games last couple of years!

joebloggs32 · 05-09-2019 6:20pm

kippy wrote: »

Yeah, the treasurer has feck all else to be doing in fairness.

Yeah....he's busy counting all that cash!

joebloggs32 · 05-09-2019 6:24pm

Midlands club. €10 minor and younger. €50 for adults and €25 for students/non playing.

I had an argument with someone lately who told me we shouldn't charge the kids! I said it should be €30 and we could spend the extra income on gear or equipment.
I must show him this thread.....

Edgware · 05-09-2019 7:23pm

kippy wrote: »

Yeah, the treasurer has feck all else to be doing in fairness.

Oh is he a busy club official with a so important post he can't help anyone?

If he cant divide the annual subscription by twelve and multiply the result by the number of months the person wanted he should be off in "little sums" college
instead of handling large sums of money

Paulzx · 05-09-2019 9:12pm

Dublin club. Annual family membership 360euro for 2 kids and 2 non playing adults (1 is a mentor/coach). That covers:

Refs fees, team equip(balls etc.), clubhouse, all weather pitch so there is no weekly collection at matches etc.

kippy · 05-09-2019 10:38pm

Edgware wrote: »

kippy wrote: »

Yeah, the treasurer has feck all else to be doing in fairness.

Oh is he a busy club official with a so important post he can't help anyone?

If he cant divide the annual subscription by twelve and multiply the result by the number of months the person wanted he should be off in "little sums" college
instead of handling large sums of money

Generally, yeah, the treasurer is one of the busiest officials in the club.
The facilitation of part annual payment isn't as straightforward as you make it out to be either and would have some consequences were it to become the norm.
That said, my advice to the OP would be to approach the club and outline the situation and rational - see what they say.

threeball · 06-09-2019 6:55am

€120 Family membership, Galway. €280 is taking the pi€€

Edgware · 06-09-2019 8:12am

kippy wrote: »

Generally, yeah, the treasurer is one of the busiest officials in the club.
The facilitation of part annual payment isn't as straightforward as you make it out to be either and would have some consequences were it to become the norm.
That said, my advice to the OP would be to approach the club and outline the situation and rational - see what they say.

Its quite straightforward if a treasurer has the belief that the club is there to encourage participation in Gaelic games and not to screw money out of families.

kippy · 06-09-2019 8:30am

Edgware wrote: »

kippy wrote: »

Generally, yeah, the treasurer is one of the busiest officials in the club.
The facilitation of part annual payment isn't as straightforward as you make it out to be either and would have some consequences were it to become the norm.
That said, my advice to the OP would be to approach the club and outline the situation and rational - see what they say.

Its quite straightforward if a treasurer has the belief that the club is there to encourage participation in Gaelic games and not to screw money out of families.

You can't encourage participation in GAA without facilities and fairness to all members.
Spot solutions are fine, but what ends up happening is people start to abuse the system.
What if every parent only wanted to cover the months their child played with different fee levels on a per member or group of member basis?
Again, I suggest the op talk to the club.
Again, there are plenty other activities out there that cost far more and deliver less that don't get half the complaints that the GAA does.

Stationmaster · 06-09-2019 9:20am

Every club has it's own unique financial commitments. Some clubs have just basic facilities and no loans and very little running costs. Others might have great facilities that require larger running costs and loan repayments. I think most clubs should look at what it costs to run the club, where they can get additional revenue streams form and then look at the balance and their membership base and see what's the best membership rate they can come up with.

Also, affiliation fees, insurance costs, levies etc are increasing year on year and I'd imagine most clubs (my own is a senior club with hurling teams only) could be paying €7k/€8k or more per year alone on these charges.

Lastly, I've 3 kids who are all at the age now where they are doing various activities and most of these would be payable at each session and a minimum of €5 per session and usually more. I think most GAA club's membership fees compare quite favourably with these prices.

willbeuptuesday · 06-09-2019 9:46am

Lads I am delighted that this debate has commenced, firstly let me state that I train both an under 10/11 football and hurling teams and I am the father of 3 kids aged 10,8 and 6. The GAA is by far and away the best value for money of any kids activity out there and my kids do gymnastics, swimming, soccer, scouts and Irish dancing (this is spread over the three of them). My club charges €40 per kid, which is way too cheap in my opinion as the modern parent only equates value to money. The reason I say this is that I experience it every day, the parents won't miss something that they have paid good money to do. My son is playing his 27th game tonight this year and he has many more training sessions, we are going on a trip on the 5th of October to Croke Park Doing the tour and getting lunch before playing a team in Dublin on the way home. We are bringing 5 mentors and 30 kids, the cost of the trip is broken down as follows, Bus €700 Croke park tour and lunch for 35 is €375 which totals €1075, the club will charge €10 per kid and the rest will be subsided by sponsors and the club. As GAA people we have this notion we cant charge kids but the reality everyone else does and its left to the committee to undertake endless fundraising to compensate for this mentality. That's a thankless job and its time those parent who only see the clubs as a babysitting service pay up and realise what the GAA does for their kids, would they be welcome at the other activities if they did not pay?? I can guarantee you that if a kid did not have the money they would nt be turned away from the GAA. We need to value what we do ourselves.

kippy · 06-09-2019 9:54am

willbeuptuesday wrote: »

Lads I am delighted that this debate has commenced, firstly let me state that I train both an under 10/11 football and hurling teams and I am the father of 3 kids aged 10,8 and 6. The GAA is by far and away the best value for money of any kids activity out there and my kids do gymnastics, swimming, soccer, scouts and Irish dancing (this is spread over the three of them). My club charges €40 per kid, which is way too cheap in my opinion as the modern parent only equates value to money. The reason I say this is that I experience it every day, the parents won't miss something that they have paid good money to do. My son is playing his 27th game tonight this year and he has many more training sessions, we are going on a trip on the 5th of October to Croke Park Doing the tour and getting lunch before playing a team in Dublin on the way home. We are bringing 5 mentors and 30 kids, the cost of the trip is broken down as follows, Bus €700 Croke park tour and lunch for 35 is €375 which totals €1075, the club will charge €10 per kid and the rest will be subsided by sponsors and the club. As GAA people we have this notion we cant charge kids but the reality everyone else does and its left to the committee to undertake endless fundraising to compensate for this mentality. That's a thankless job and its time those parent who only see the clubs as a babysitting service pay up and realise what the GAA does for their kids, would they be welcome at the other activities if they did not pay?? I can guarantee you that if a kid did not have the money they would nt be turned away from the GAA. We need to value what we do ourselves.

Great post and 100% agreed.
To be fair to most clubs, if you cannot pay or have some special circumstances you will be facilitated.

kevin7 · 06-09-2019 10:33am

If you any trouble understanding your club's fees, go to the AGM and see the accounts.

If you feel some of the money is being spent where it shouldn't, raise that as an issue. Of if you feel too much money is being taken in, sitting in a bank account and not getting spent, raise that. (Chances of that are zero!)

Some clubs may own the land, be debt free, and have few overheads to run their teams, so don't need to charge much for membership.

Others do new developments, get what grants they can and borrow large sums of money to get things done. These loans need servicing.

What I saw as a big success in my club a few years ago was proper budgeting was done, and instead of an endless cycle of fundraising events, badgering the same people to contribute, the fees were set at a proper level to cover the budget. Fees went up quite a lot, but it was so much simpler than bag packing, car washing, table quizes, etc etc etc every other month!

Edgware · 06-09-2019 12:29pm

kevin7 wrote: »

If you any trouble understanding your club's fees, go to the AGM and see the accounts.

If you feel some of the money is being spent where it shouldn't, raise that as an issue. Of if you feel too much money is being taken in, sitting in a bank account and not getting spent, raise that. (Chances of that are zero!)

Some clubs may own the land, be debt free, and have few overheads to run their teams, so don't need to charge much for membership.

Others do new developments, get what grants they can and borrow large sums of money to get things done. These loans need servicing.

What I saw as a big success in my club a few years ago was proper budgeting was done, and instead of an endless cycle of fundraising events, badgering the same people to contribute, the fees were set at a proper level to cover the budget. Fees went up quite a lot, but it was so much simpler than bag packing, car washing, table quizes, etc etc etc every other month!

The amount of energy spent on fundraising is quite high. Some people do expect everything for nothing when it come to the G.A.A. Nurseries on a Saturday morning are used as a free babysitting service which allows some parents to go off for cappucinos and avocado on toast. In our club where we have the hurling following the football nursery on a Saturday morning the non contributing parents have two hours free babysitting

moycullen14 · 06-09-2019 2:47pm

kippy wrote: »

Great post and 100% agreed.
To be fair to most clubs, if you cannot pay or have some special circumstances you will be facilitated.

GAA, of all organisations, seems to have a tax and spend mentality. I was involved in a local rugby club where if it costs X to run the club and we have Y members so set the subscription at X/Y - the club was more or less self funding.
The local GAA club would set the subscription at a very low rate and then spend the year endlessly fund-raising. They were to be commended at trying to make it as inclusive as possible by keeping the sub down but the attitude that the community was obliged to fund the GAA became very tiresome.

Edgware · 06-09-2019 11:17pm

A lot of the fundraising within the clubs would be done by individual teams for individual projects e.g. Feile competitions, trips to tournaments up and down the country, kitting out squads for final appearancs etc.
In any case a lot of the fundraising has a social aspect too, quiz nights, poker nights etc where members across the club come out and support each other

LoughNeagh2017 · 07-09-2019 4:06pm

The last time the club did memership collection I turned off the lights and did my best Disney villians laugh when they left, scrounging around looking money from a minimum wage wage slave and if you refused to buy you would be the talk of the parish, to be honest though I probably am talk of the parish anyway.

club membership fees timing

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