GAA hold back 2,000 pitch-side tickets

THE GAA won’t be releasing around 2,000 pitch-side tickets for Sunday’s All-Ireland football semi-final between Dublin and Cork in Croke Park unless there is critical demand to do so closer to throw-in.

Under their revised security policy, the first three rows of the Hogan, Cusack and Davin stands will remain sealed off under orange plastic meshing – one of the ways the GAA has been dealing with the threat of pitch invasions since the infamous Louth-Meath Leinster final on July 11th.

If demand for Sunday’s game goes above the 80,000 mark then the GAA say they will review the matter, and most likely make the tickets available, but for now they’ll be the last tickets to be sold, somewhat incongruously given the sideline view makes them among the best seats in the house. Priced at €45 each, it also represents a potential hit of around €90,000 on the overall gate receipt.

“We’d only be taking a hit if the seats are required and we didn’t sell them,” said Alan Milton, GAA communications manager. “Right now we just don’t know if they are required. But obviously we can’t stand over empty seats if the demand is there, so we will be reviewing the matter on a daily basis. But at this moment, yes, those seats aren’t being made available, and are out of bounds. Although it’s not a considerable amount of seats, just marginally reduces the capacity. And this situation can be reviewed right up to the day itself.”

The Croke Park ticket office will meet stadium officials this morning to address the issue of the expected attendance, and a decision to make available the first three rows may be made at that point. Croke Park’s capacity of 82,300 hasn’t yet been reached this year, the highest attendance being the Dublin-Tyrone quarter-final on Saturday July 31st – played as a double-header with Down-Kerry – which drew 62,749. Last year’s quarter-final between Dublin and Kerry drew a virtual capacity of 81,892, and the indications are that Sunday’s game will come close or if not surpass that.

“It would appear as if we’re heading towards a sell-out,” added Milton. “The demand from Dublin clubs alone is probably more than all of Dublin’s other championships games so far combined. And there’s a number of factors here. We’re back down to one game a weekend. It’s two of the biggest urban centres in the country, and a very attractive game, two teams that haven’t met very often in the championship.”

The policy of closing off the first three rows of the three main stands as a means of addressing the threat of a pitch invasion hasn’t yet been put to the test, given none of the games played in Croke Park since the Leinster football final have created the sort of pitch-invasion scenario that followed the Louth-Meath game. Nor is Sunday’s game likely to do so; however even if the seats are filled, the intention is to direct the tickets towards neutral supporters where possible.

With demand for All-Ireland final tickets naturally outweighing supply, the first three rows will be made available, with the option of directing them towards neutral supporters made easier by the fact a greater percentage of tickets always go to non-participating counties.

The GAA have also confirmed work will begin on raising the Hill 16 fencing early next week, with the new 2.8-metre barrier thus being in place ahead of the second football semi-final involving Down and Kildare on Sunday week – and both the All-Ireland hurling and football finals on September 5th and 19th respectively.

Meanwhile, as Dublin manager Pat Gilroy prepares to unveil his team to face Cork at a press conference tomorrow, the expectation is of a minor shake-up in his defence, now that Cian O’Sullivan is fully recovered from the hamstring injury that ruled him out of action for most of the last eight weeks. O’Sullivan replaced Barry Cahill at half-time in the quarter-final win over Tyrone, and looks likely to retain that place in the half-back line as Gilroy seeks to help stem Cork’s big threat at centre forward, Pearse O’Neill.

Paul Flynn is also pressing hard for a place in the forwards, possibly in preference to captain David Henry, who he also replaced at half-time in the Tyrone match. Otherwise Gilroy is unlikely to consider any further changes.

- Michael Wadding of Waterford will referee the All-Ireland hurling final between Kilkenny and Tipperary on September 5th. It marks Wadding’s first senior final as referee, the Roanmore clubman having refereed finals at minor (1997) and under-21 (2003), and he was also on duty for this year’s Leinster senior final clash of Kilkenny and Galway. Anthony Stapleton of Laois will oversee the All-Ireland minor final between Clare and Kilkenny.