Ticket prices - Families should not be priced out

The Dublin-Cork All-Ireland football semi-final should be a great spectacle, reflecting what is best in the game. It will attract a large attendance and provide the Gaelic Athletic Association with a magnificent stage on which to display the sport.

The match has already attracted unprecedented interest from the betting public. Paddy Power reports that more than €500,000 has already been bet on the game and in the final hours before the throw-in, it is confidently predicted that over €1 million will have been wagered on the outcome.

Despite the hype and noise of the soccer World Cup during the summer, many of the games were boring, in contrast with the excitement of the televised Gaelic football games in this country. The friendly rivalry of supporters adds greatly to the atmosphere. Respective fans are not segregated. They usually engage in friendly banter and games become a family occasion.

This is worth preserving because sport plays a vital part in Irish life, from educational, health and social perspectives. There have already been complaints about ticket prices becoming so expensive that the family atmosphere is being impaired, because people cannot afford to bring the family in these economically depressed times.

This applies to more and more sports. Pat Spillane complained about the price of tickets to the Munster Football Final, while Keith Wood was yesterday highlighting the 21% increase in the price of rugby tickets at the new Aviva Stadium. He stressed the importance of facilitating young people as much as possible at games. They are the lifeblood and future of any sport. It is a worthwhile investment to get children interested. Many older people will remember when they were lifted over the turnstile into the stands at Croke Park. It is a pity that this practice had to be stopped for safety reasons.

Sport has become big business. At the top level both soccer and rugby are now fully professional. It is important that they appreciate the importance of ordinary supporters. The games should facilitate a family atmosphere and should not become the preserve of an exclusively wealthy or corporate set, just because they can afford to pay exorbitant prices.

Some of the most successful teams in English soccer are on the verge of bankruptcy. If they continue to raise prices, they will inevitably limit their support, and this will be to the detriment of the game. It is important that we should avoid such pitfalls and keep sport within the price range of ordinary families.