Kerry GAA spent an eye-watering amount to win this year’s All Ireland

We're fairly sure Kerry fans don't care what the cost of success is if Sam Maguire winters in the Kingdom. But spending almost €1 million for September glory is pretty steep.

It seems the difference between winning and losing at semi final stage in the All-Ireland championship is about €200k. Eek. Well that's according to the figures that will emerge from the Kerry County Board AGM next Monday. Kerry treasurer Weeshie Lynch's report will show that Kerry spent an eye-popping €972,613 this year on their senior team compared to €755,000 in 2013. Kerry were defeated by Dublin in a thrilling All-Ireland semi final in 2013 while you hardly need reminding that they beat Donegal this year to win their 37th All-Ireland title. That massive jump in spending has been offset by an increase in gate receipts as well as a bigger response from Kerry supporters to fundraising initiatives. The Kerry players can also look forward to a rather nice holiday with over €300k in the kitty to pay for plenty of sun-tan to avoid the 'Gooch' getting sunburnt and extra-long board shorts for Kieran Donaghy. Despite all the money spent in 2014 the board are still set to record a profit of approximately €131k, which just shows the incredible amounts of money now surrounding top level GAA in this country. H/t to the Irish Examiner