GAA Director General Tom Ryan says county boards need to tighten their belts.
The GAA's annual report showed an increase of 11.6 per cent in the cost of preparing and fielding inter-county sides.
The 2019 figure stood at close to €30 million.
Ryan also said that the Cork County Board are facing "very challenging" debt repayments after they sought loans to complete the renovation of Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
The total cost of the stadium rose to €96 million, with 21.5 million borrowed from the bank and a further 10 million from the GAA.
Ticket sales accounted for almost half of the GAA's total revenue of €73.9 million.
A total of €1.76 million was paid to the 14 members of the GAA's senior executive team, averaging €125,000 per member.