Dear GAA: Cost of tickets

SEPTEMBER ROAD:A PARENT, bringing, say, three children to the penultimate stage of the senior hurling championship – Kilkenny v Waterford or Tipperary v Dublin – last month could do so for €60 (one €40 tickets + four €5 tickets).

In fact, there were €10 adult tickets available through clubs, which were snapped up, and so the cost could have been as low as €30 in total for one adult and four kids at an All-Ireland semi-final.

For the same family to attend yesterday would have cost €400.

Just for the tickets.

A 1,200 per cent increase.

It's no wonder we met so many that said they just couldn't afford to go. And others who had decided to bring one child, rather than the usual car load.

"The GAA recognises the need to encourage patrons to attend our games and this price cut signals our intent to ensure our supporters continue to engage with and follow our championship games."

GAA president Christy Cooney said that a few months ago when a fiver was knocked off the price of many of the summer's games.

A tenner, however, was slipped on to the price of an All-Ireland final ticket, making yesterday's game easily the highest gross take on tickets the GAA have ever had.

It makes next week's camogie finals all the more attractive. While adult tickets for Croke Park next Sunday for the junior, intermediate and senior deciders are €30 each, there are all the usual concessions – with tickets for under-16s just a fiver, and other family tickets which would mean that adult and four children could attend for €45.

Or put it another way, 11 per cent of the cost of the men's final. Though for a All-Ireland camogie final, it's advisable to shell out an extra few euros on ear plugs.

BETS YOU COULD HAVE HAD . . . BUT IT’S TOO LATE NOW

SOMEONE, somewhere is celebrating not just Kilkenny’s victory yesterday, but the last point by Eoin Larkin in the four-point victory as the All-Ireland champions were 6/1 to claim the title by 4-6 points.

For Kilkenny to win by exactly four points was 16/1.

While Lar Corbett was 9/2 and Henry Shefflin was 15/2 to get the first goal of the game, the man who hit the net in the 35th minute, Michael Fennelly, was 50/1!

But, of course, most of the betting would have done on which team wins. While there was much talk before the decider of the 10/1 odds on offer for the draw, it was those who influenced Kilkenny’s odds being brought in from 11/8 who will be the happiest today.

TIPSTER FAILS IN HIS BID FOR FIVE-IN-A-ROW

THE five-in-a-row is unbelievably difficult to achieve.

Kilkenny failed to do it, and a tabloid columist has failed as well.

A former intercounty hurler, manager and now newspaper analyst predicted Kilkenny would win yesterday’s game.

Last year he tipped Kilkenny as well, in 2009 he went for Tipperary, 2008 Waterford, and, strangest of all, went for Limerick (if memory serves, by a cartload) in 2007.

After four-in-a-row of naming the losers, we knew he’d get there .

Now, we thought of naming him, especially considering September Road has personal experience of his tough managerial style.

But then we thought, hey, we don’t want to put him off going with his gut again in 2012, now do we?

TIPP'S QUOTA

IT was on the cards that Tipperary would not win yesterday, as they had already received their quota for the decade.

In the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s and 2000s one of hurling’s most decorated counties achieved just one senior All-Ireland each decade.

With last year’s win, they’re not due another until at least 2020!