Hawk-Eye scores as profits soar by 14.5% to €4.3m

Pre-tax profits at the technology firm that determined the fate of the 2014 Hurling All-Ireland final increased by 14.5% to £3.25m (€4.23m) last year.

Tue, 20 Jan, 2015 - 00:00

Gordon Deegan

On All-Ireland final day last year, thousands of Tipperary supporters believed John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer had won the Liam MacCarthy Cup with a last-gasp, long- range free against Kilkenny.

However, the Hawk-Eye technology deployed in Croke Park made its most momentous call yet when it ruled the free wide, resulting in the final being a draw, and leading the match to become known as the Hawk-Eye final.

The figures lodged by Hawk-Eye Innovations Ltd with Companies House in the UK show the firm enjoyed the jump in profits after revenues soared by 47.5% from £6.8m to £10m in the 12 months to the end of March last.

Along with the business from the GAA, Hawk-Eye enjoyed increased revenues and profits after its goal-line technology was deployed at grounds around the Premier League in England from the start of the 2013-14 season.

Reports have suggested it has cost the GAA €200,000 to have Hawk-Eye installed, though the cost has never been confirmed.

Yesterday, the GAA confirmed the use of Hawk-Eye at Croke Park last year increased by 45%, going from 31 to 45 matches.

However, the use of Hawk-Eye during football ties fell by 50%, from 10 to five matches.

The use in hurling ties increased from 10 to 11.

A spokesman for the GAA said yesterday: “The use of the technology has added to our match-day experience and first and foremost its strengths lie in assisting our match officials in being as accurate in their calls for scores as they can possibly be.

The spokesman added: “Nowhere was this more evident than with the last action of last year’s All-Ireland senior final and for some this game will be recalled in years to come as the ‘Hawk-Eye final’.

“I think its success has fuelled some of the calls for the roll out of the technology outside Croke Park and feasibility studies are already under way for its use in Thurles.

“Cork and Belfast, as planned new builds, can also be expected to factor the use of the technology in their construction,” he said.