WITH ALL the talk of falling attendances and reduced ticket prices – plus the hype around a certain oval ball – you’d think the GAA were worried that no one will show up for the championship. However, Christy Cooney put things back in perspective yesterday.

“Is it affecting my sleep?” – said the GAA president, speaking at the launch of the 2009 football championship in Croke Park. “It’s not. Because I believe, when push comes to shove, we’ll have very good attendances this year. Attendances were up in the league, and I believe we have good packages available to people, through the provincial councils. It would be nice to increase attendances at all if we can, and we’ll try to do that.

“And we’ll always have to compete with other sports, whether it’s soccer or rugby or basketball or golf of whatever. It’s always been our job to put our best foot forward to make sure we get our fair share of the market.

“But the GAA brand has been there for 125 years, and has been very successful. We have Cork against Tipperary coming up in the first round of the Munster hurling championship and anyone who questions the need to re-brand that is in cuckoo land.”

Cooney also responded to comments from former Cork hurling full back Diarmuid O’Sullivan, who in announcing his retirement on Tuesday, claimed the GAA needed to “modernise” its games, particularly compared to rugby, and that “you go to Thurles and the music that’s being played is from the forties, there’s no craic in there, the atmosphere is dead”.

“Well I wouldn’t accept that,” said Cooney. “We continue to look at how we present our games throughout the summer. We have Jarlath Burns head of a committee overlooking that now, and of course we can learn from other sports. But I believe the presentation of our games is generally very good. If we can add to that we will.

“We do need to be innovative in terms of ticket promotions and we’ll continue to do that. We’re always conscious of the needs of our patrons.”

It has been suggested that GAA may look at fixing more games for provincial venues, including the All-Ireland football quarter-finals, in order to avoid low attendances at Croke Park, which not only looks bad, but takes from the atmosphere. “That’s something the CCCC will give consideration too in due course,” said Cooney, “depending on pairings.

“But we’ve no policy decision on the use of Croke Park, and we’re not going to make a policy decision on it. It will always depend on who is playing. But I’m not going to prejudge what might happen.

“If Croke Park is the best available venue at the time then it’s Croke Park. If it’s some place else then it’s some place else. But I do think the more games we can play in Croke Park the better. We’ve a responsibility to our patrons, and most teams want to play in Croke Park as well.”

One of the annual suggestions come the launch of the championship is that the GAA needs to be inventive when it comes to opening the whole show, which currently starts with a whimper and ends with a bang.

Instead of Carlow versus Louth in Parnell Park as the opener this Sunday, how about Dublin against Meath in Croke Park?

“That’s difficult,” said Cooney, “because it all depends on the way the draw goes. Of course, you’d love to have a plum tie at the start of the championship, but that’s not always possible. But it’s a long summer, from May to September, and we’ll have plum games all the way through.

“But then Dublin against Meath is a plum game quite early on. The possibility of Cork against Kerry too. They’ll be tremendous games. I accept we’d a big start to the National Football League, but that was a very special occasion, also celebrating 125 years. But we’re conscious of maintaining that.”

Finally, the GAA would continue to be supportive of New York playing the championship, despite the costly and ultimately one-sided game between Mayo last Sunday. “As long as New York want to play in the championship, and are up to it, we’ll support them. We have a lot more people emigrating at the moment, and we want to give them the opportunity to be part of the Association, part of a major event, which the game in New York last weekend was about.”