GAA:THE ISSUE of ticketing for matches is to be examined as a matter of urgency following a flood of complaints received by Croke Park yesterday from patrons who received no refund after the late postponement of Saturday's Tipperary-Kilkenny NHL fixture in Thurles. The match was re-fixed for tonight at the same venue.
A crowd estimated at close to 10,000 had gathered on Saturday in Semple Stadium by the time heavy snow fall forced the match to be called off. There were no refunds or vouchers distributed to the departing crowds and although admission to tonight’s re-fixture is free, those who paid in on Saturday but will be unable to attend this evening have been complaining to GAA headquarters.
“The problem arose as it wasn’t an all-ticket occasion,” said GAA spokesperson Alan Milton yesterday evening. “By the time the game was called off cash had been moved and there were logistical as well as security considerations concerning simply handing money back.
“We are terribly sorry that supporters have been disappointed and inconvenienced in this way but there was very little that could be done on the evening. The decision not to go ahead was unexpected. That meant that as well as a crowd being in the ground there was virtually no time to plan a response such as the distribution of vouchers, which would have required a lot of distribution points if the departing crowds weren’t to be seriously delayed.
“Many of the people who have contacted us today have accepted our apologies and explanation. We know that free admission on Tuesday won’t compensate everyone and the possibilities of ticketing and providing receipts will have to be looked into.
“There’s no real other way of avoiding this sort of situation.”
Locals in Thurles couldn’t remember the last time a match had been called off at the venue, which has a legendarily durable playing surface.
The problem is a consequence of the practice at GAA matches of taking cash on the turnstiles at National League fixtures, which rarely draw sufficiently large crowds to necessitate all-ticket matches. Neither are receipts handed out, which contravenes consumer rights law.
There is also an apparently cultural antipathy to purchasing tickets in advance and this has caused difficulty at All-Ireland club finals on St Patrick’s Day at Croke Park, where the numbers walking up at the last minute on the afternoon have created difficulties for the stadium, which was criticised in 2004 for not opening sufficient turnstiles to allow walk-up supporters adequate access.
Both counties have named the same teams as last weekend for tonight but Tipperary wing back Shane Maher will have a late fitness test on the dead leg which would have prevented him starting on Saturday.
Tipperary’s Séamus Callanan has confirmed he is ready to play in two matches over the next two days. He will line out in this evening’s match and tomorrow’s Fitzgibbon Cup tie for David Fitzgerald’s Limerick IT, who have home advantage for their quarter-final meeting with UCD.
Callanan said: “I don’t mind really – I’m feeling fairly fit at the moment. It’s not an ideal situation but there’s not much I can do about it. I want to play against Kilkenny but I also want to play in the colleges.”
Callanan added: “Obviously any Tipp player wants to play against Kilkenny and UCD are a very good team. It’s knock-out now so I have to play with my college.”
Finally there was some good news for Dublin hurling manager Anthony Daly in the wake of Sunday’s 13-point mauling from Waterford. All Star centrefielder Alan McCrabbe, who was carried off in Walsh Park, may be fit for the weekend’s second round match against Munster champions Tipperary at Parnell Park.
TIPPERARY: B Cummins; C O’Brien, P Curran, B Maher; D Fanning, P Maher, S Maher; B Dunne, S McGrath; S Hennessy, S Callanan, H Maloney; E Kelly, M Webster, N McGrath.
KILKENNY: PJ Ryan; C Hickey, B Hogan, J Dalton; T Walsh, J Tyrrell, JJ Delaney; W Dwyer, PJ Delaney; R Hogan, M Rice, A Fogarty; M Grace, M Comerford, R Power.
Tipperary v Kilkenny
Tonight, Semple Stadium
Throw-in – 8pm
Admission – Free
Live on Setanta Ireland
