GAA: THE GAA is hoping in future to standardise ticket prices across the provincial championships. At present prices vary between the various championships but according to director general Páraic Duffy efforts have been made to achieve uniformity and although not successful this year, further discussions will take place.

“We would have liked to have standardised ticket prices across the organisation but we weren’t able to secure agreement amongst all the provinces and the provincial councils ultimately have the right to set their own admission costs.”

Another issue under review is the price of tickets when quarter-final replays are staged on the same bill as All-Ireland semi-finals. At present all supporters have to pay the same amount which has caused complaints in affected counties. “This was raised at Central Council,” said Duffy, “and we’ll be looking into it for this season and making a decision if and when replays arise in All-Ireland quarter-finals.”

Commenting on the decision to reduce All-Ireland admission prices by €5 across the board, the director general said that the move was made because of the impact of recession and he defended the rise of €10 in All-Ireland final tickets. “It was simply that things have become so tight and many people are so badly off. Some of the attendances have been disappointing but this is principally to recognise that people are having a tough time at the moment.

“We had to make up some of the shortfall and raising All-Ireland final tickets we felt would be the best way to do that. We’re always conscious of the need to maintain a balance between price reduction and maintaining expenditure on areas like development projects, particularly now that public funding has all but dried up.”

He also thought attendance figures would probably fall. “Some games this year have been fine but I’ll be surprised if we can keep attendances up to last year’s level.

“The biggest factor for us is what teams come through and we’ve no control over that. For instance we would expect a bigger crowd for a Dublin-Kilkenny Leinster hurling final than for a Galway-Kilkenny final. I’ve made this point before in annual reports.

“Last year we had Down and Kildare in an All-Ireland semi-final and they’re counties that draw good crowds but you could as easily have another Cork-Kerry match and for obvious reasons that won’t draw the same numbers.”