Where the tickets end up

As has become an All-Ireland tradition, ticket demands for Croke Park far outnumber availability. With a current capacity of just under 63,000, vast numbers of supporters from both Cork and Meath have been left wanting.

There is currently a 38,685 capacity between the Hogan, Cusack and Nally Stands. Those tickets are allocated to a range of sources from county allocations and Croke Park officials to media and sponsors. The Hill 16 terrace tickets are distributed between the competing counties.

Cork's official allocation was 8,977 tickets, of which 6,577 were for the stands and the remaining 2,400 were for Hill 16. There was also an extra 1,500 allocated this week and they have been distributed throughout the 264 clubs affiliated in the county.

Meath were given an official allocation of 7,400 tickets and also received an extra 1,500 this week - but were still short of the figure they had hoped for. "We would have expected to get the same as the other finalists," said the Meath PRO Brendan Cummins.

But according to Croke Park, the difference is explained by the number of clubs within the two counties. Cork come out significantly on top there, as Meath have a figure of 149 clubs currently affiliated in the county. "It becomes an exercise in trying to please as many people as you can," says Danny Lynch, PRO for the GAA. "And we try to do it in the most democratic way possible. If we had a 120,000-seater stadium then we could still fill it."

Either way, these will be the last All-Ireland seats available for the old Hogan Stand as demolition is due to begin after the women's football final next weekend. That phase of Croke Park's redevelopment is not scheduled to be completed until September 2001 and once completed will increase the overall stadium capacity to 79,000.

The new stand at the Canal End is expected to be finished by the start of the championship next year. It will accommodate 21,000 people when completed and like the new Hogan Stand will essentially mirror the new Cusack stand, with a sheltered lower tier, an upper section and a mezzanine premium level.

Where the tickets GO - Main Stand Allocations: Capacity: 38,685. Hogan: 15,605; New Stand Lower: 13,105; New Stand Upper: 7,852; Nally: 2,123.

County Allocations: 13,056; Competing Counties and Additional Quotas: 11,370; Long Term Tickets (New Stand): 5,166; Extra Allocation for Competing Counties: 3,000; Councils, Committees and Ard-Chomhairle: 406; Committee Members and Former Presidents: 556; Provincial Councils: 322; Handball: 150; North American Board: 145; New York: 145; Canada: 10; Australia 60; Bord Failte: 108.

Universities and Higher Education: 214; Secondary Schools: 624; Vocational Schools: 655; Bunscoileanna: 152; Teachers Executives: 80; Public Representatives: 112; Cumann Camogaiochta na nGael: 120; Cumann Gaelach na Monarchan: 120; Cumann Gaelach na mBan: 20.

Rounders: 12; Psychiatric Hospitals: 40; Army and Gardai: 95; Staff and Sub Commit- tees: 290; Sponsors: 255; Advertisers: 80; Media: 280; Hogan Stand for Minors: 70; Key Stewards: 55; Jubilee teams and INTO Skills: 297; An tArd-Stiurthoir: 440; Hogan Press Seats: 100; Other Hogan Unsaleable: 80.