All Ireland final tickets: GAA officials astounded at demand for Clare vs Cork hurling game
An allocation of tickets that went on sale yesterday in Cork sold out in 45 minutes.
The clamour for tickets for Sunday’s All Ireland hurling final is unprecedented thanks to the long drought of both counties. Traditional giants Clare and Cork clash in the showpiece – but neither has won the Liam McCarthy Cup in over a decade.
Clare has not even reached the final for 11 years since 2013 while Cork has gone 19 years without lifting it.
An allocation of tickets that went on sale yesterday in Cork sold out in 45 minutes. Cork GAA administrator Michael Hegarty said: “I’ve never seen anything like the demand for tickets.” Hegarty is chairman of Ladysbridge club Fr O’Neills, home to Cork players Declan Dalton and Ger Millerick.
Michael added: “There is no way as a club we will be able to satisfy everyone. The allocation of tickets to Cork with its population and clubs is ludicrous.”
A diehard Cork fan called Noel Raymond, who runs Facebook page Cork Rebel, suggested the final has become a corporate event. He said: “A lot of people who don’t normally attend games are paying a lot of money to go to the final – while people, like me, who go all season long cannot get tickets.”
He accused some season ticket holders of cashing in by selling their gold dust passes for the final.
A survey of ticket prices by ourgame.ie for the last 30 years claimed yesterday to show that All Ireland hurling final tickets have gone from the equivalent of €21.60 in 1994 to €100 – which is a 362% increase. Hard pressed fans say that as well as soaring ticket prices, they are also being targeted by scammers.
With demand wildly outstrips availability, crooks are setting up false accounts to sell non-existent tickets to desperate supporters, they claim. GAA officials have reminded genuine fans that legitimate tickets for the All-Ireland final are distributed by Croke Park to the participating counties.
Croker has a capacity of 82,300 – with 32,000 tickets issued to the finalists Cork and Clare. The rest of the 50,000 tickets go to season ticket holders, premium and corporate, Croke Park term tickets, sponsors, provinces and overseas former GAA presidents.
The All Ireland Hurling Final between Clare and Cork is scheduled for this Sunday, July 21, from 3.30pm.
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