Ulster bosses quiet on final venue

THE Ulster GAA Council has delayed a decision on the venue for its provincial football final, increasing speculation it could be moved to Croke Park for the second year in a row.

However, with the Leinster football final also scheduled for July 17, the only avenue open to Ulster chiefs would be to bring the final game forward 24 hours to Saturday.

The historic move to bring the 2004 final to Croke Park proved hugely successful in terms of attracting a crowd of over 67,000 (the biggest attendance at any of last year’s provincial finals) and producing record gate receipts for the Ulster Council. The policy had been agreed in advance of the semi-finals and - it was generally felt - in anticipation of Armagh and Tyrone qualifying. In the event, Donegal’s unexpected win over the then All-Ireland champions scuppered that arrangement, but it didn’t have an impact on the attendance.

Ulster officials are remaining tight-lipped about their plans, refusing to respond to the speculation that they might be prepared to play their final on a Saturday. The belief is that there would be strong opposition from within the counties on traditional grounds, and from the practical viewpoint of travelling through towns on a shopping day. A Saturday game would also have to get the go-ahead from the gardaí. However, the bottom line is that a potential 40,000 extra fans would be able to get tickets for Croke Park.

The capacity of the Clones ground is around the 35,000 mark, compared to 82,300 in Croke Park since the new Hill 16 terrace was opened.

Last year’s final attracted a crowd of 67,136 and was worth over €700,000 to the Ulster Council.

Association Director-General Liam Mulvihill originally floated the idea of an Ulster final in Croke Park. He said the success of teams from the province over the last 15 years, allied to the increased interest in the games, meant that an increasing number of people - and families in particular - wished to attend finals.

“Depending on the pairings, it became inevitable that a significant number of people, particularly children, were being disappointed on an ongoing basis despite the fact that the improved road infrastructure made Dublin easily accessible in a reasonable time,’’ Mr Mulvihill explained.

“These were the reasons I suggested Croke Park for consideration in respect of an Ulster final venue and to the Ulster Council’s credit, they took the brave and farsighted decision at semi-final stage before the final pairings were fully known. Their decision was vindicated by being able to accommodate all their supporters who wished to attend.’’

In the words of Ulster Secretary Danny Murphy, the “courageous decision” to go to Croke Park extended the principle that their games should cater for the supporters that wished to attend. People who showed hostility to the decision did not understand that their games “demanded the Croke Park stage”, he said.

And he stressed that the commitment of the Council to venues in Ulster was not reduced in any way.

In the meantime, Clones will house the first of the semi-finals on Sunday week, June 19, between Tyrone and Cavan. The venue for the other semi-final a week later - for which Derry have already qualified - will depend on the outcome of Sunday’s game between Donegal and Armagh.

It will be in Clones if Donegal advance, but if Armagh triumph (as they are expected to), it will be in Casement Park.