He will tell delegates to the county’s annual convention next Tuesday in Tralee: “It’s good to have engagement and debate on the matter. We are lucky in Kerry that our club footballers can compete in up to three different championships in any given year as well as compete in one of the best County Leagues in the country. 

"However, cognisance must be taken of the load on players, in particular our inter-county players who this year were no sooner coming off an All-Ireland final before re-grouping for a pretty intense Club Championship and county Championship.” 

The financial returns for Kerry in 2023 tell its own story in terms of the fall-off in interest in Kerry’s SFC, once the envy of most counties. Gate receipts, including live-stream revenue of around €100,000 still dropped from €893,000 to €733,000 with SFC income itself falling by €210,000 to €240,000.

“With the advent of the split season, it was inevitable that our club championships and Senior Football Championship would come under strain due to the condensed nature of the current fixtures programme,” Peter Twiss said. “The Kerry County Board and our clubs have never been afraid of change and adapting to new situations. I’m sure that will continue to be the case. Our aim will always be to ensure players and supporters alike, enjoy to the full our club and county championships. Any review can never be about finding the ‘perfect solution' for any one constituent but getting the balance between the various parties involved reasonably right, with the needs of the players, both inter-county and club, always to the fore.” 

Added Treasurer Tom Keane: "Traditionally gate receipts have always been an important bedrock for the association's revenue stream. However, over the last number of years, figures have fluctuated widely particularly due to the new split season which sees the traditional dates for championships move somewhat. I would share some concern with the delegates that traditional gate income is on the wane a little, an issue not only affecting Kerry but the wider GAA community across the country. There may be many questions out there how best to improve attendances but largely attending a game is a personal choice."

Convention will also see see the appointment of a Demographics Officer in Kerry, following a motion passed at Congress earlier this year. Said Twiss: “This will be a very important role as changing demographics need to be reflected in all aspects of the GAA going forward, particularly in areas such as participation, fixtures and our byelaws governing player eligibility and attachment to (their) first club.

The Twiss report also confirmed that the Board completed the purchase of a small parcel of additional land adjacent to the Centre of Excellence in Currans. This purchase combined with land already on site, will allow the development of three further playing pitches, including two sand-based pitches and one 4G full-sized artificial pitch. All these pitches will be fully floodlit.

"We are delighted to have entered an agreement with our sister Association, Kerry LGFA, designating one of the above sand-based pitches, for their sole use. This initiative confirms the Board’s strong support for Kerry Ladies Football and Kerry Camogie. We will continue to work closely with both Associations as all three bodies move toward full amalgamation."

Overall, the financial picture for Kerry remains relatively healthy, with a €400,000 operating profit. Said Tom Keane: "Following on from last year’s exceptional growth, which saw an operating profit of €1m, I feel that we have never been in a stronger position facing into a new year.

"You may ask why we have €2.8m in the bank with outstanding loans of €1.5m. As previously mentioned, we have plans in place for developments. It is also prudent that the board would have enough financial reserves remaining to use as cashflow until the more traditional revenue streams come into play later in the year."

The financial report shows that Kerry football team holiday costs came in at around €300,000, part of a €1.679m spend on county teams. This in up almost €234,000 on year-on-year figures and it is a figure that continues to grow despite the best efforts of trying to curtail costs.

Said treasurer Keane: "I have no doubt that this will again this year be a figure that grabs a headline but it is important for people to realise that this is what it takes in today’s world to put in place the best systems available so that our players across all the training groups receive the best not only in training but in all the additional supports such as nutrition and medical supports which are now needed in bringing players onto the highest performance level."