Switch in Croke Park fixtures to net GAA double bonanza

THE GAA have almost guaranteed themselves two packed houses at Croke Park on the one weekend and gate receipts of well over €3.5 million with the decision to play Dublin and Mayo’s All-Ireland football quarter-final ties on different days next month.

It was confirmed yesterday that the Leinster champions will play the winners of this weekend’s fourth round qualifier between Galway and Westmeath at HQ on Saturday, August 12.

The game will be preceded by the final of the Nicky Rackard Cup.

The Connacht and Leinster champions had originally been due to share the same billing at HQ on August 12 with the Nicky Rackard Cup acting as the curtain-raiser to the second hurling semi-final a day later.

Had that formula been adhered to, the stadium would have been packed to the rafters with thousands locked out for the football and probably half-empty for the hurling as the average attendance for the two hurling semi-finals last year was only 45,285.

By switching the Mayo and Nicky Rackard Cup games, the GAA have guaranteed another bumper audience for the Sunday doubleheader which will also see Kilkenny play Clare.

Though Kilkenny never really travel in numbers, apart from the All-Ireland final itself, Clare’s presence in the last two semi-finals has boosted attendance figures, while the winners of Laois and Offaly would be expected to bring up to 20,000 to Dublin for a quarter-final pairing with Mayo.

Gate receipts for last year’s All-Ireland football quarter-final draw between Dublin and Tyrone amounted to over €1.5m, which means the difference between a near-full and half-full Croke Park to the GAA on August 12 could be €0.75m.

Crucially, none of the counties concerned seem upset.

Mayo manager Mickey Moran has said he didn’t much care when their game was played as long as it was fixed for HQ.

County officials contacted yesterday in Laois and Offaly also had no beef with the change but, aside from the GAA’s own coffers, Dublin are undoubtedly the biggest beneficiaries.

Instead of having their considerable fan base diluted by sharing a bill, they will again hope to have up to 60,000 fans cheering them on against either Galway or Westmeath, just as they did against Laois and Offaly.

There had been earlier suggestions that their quarter-final could even have been moved forward to the Bank Holiday Monday on August 7 at Croke Park, though Paul Caffrey will be glad that particular idea wasn’t adopted.

Aside from the problems that would have presented for his finely-tuned preparations, it would have given full-forward Kevin Bonner a week less to recover from the ankle injury that sidelined him for the Leinster final.

Saturday

Bank of Ireland SFC Qualifier Round Four: Kerry v Longford, Killarney, 3.30pm; Galway v Westmeath, Pearse Stadium, 7pm.

Nicky Rackard Cup semi-final: Derry v Armagh, Crossmaglen, 3.30pm.

ESB All-Ireland MFC quarter-finals: Donegal v Offaly, Clones, 2pm; Meath v Antrim, Clones, 3.30pm; Roscommon v Tipperary, Tullamore, 5pm.

Sunday

Bank of Ireland All-Ireland SFC Qualifiers: Donegal v Fermanagh, Enniskillen, 2pm; Offaly v Laois, Portlaoise, 4pm.

All-Ireland U16 B Hurling Round Three: Kerry v Westmeath, Claughaun, 2pm.

All-Ireland MBHC Final: Kerry v Westmeath, Claughan, 3.30pm.

Nicky Rackard Cup semi-final: Longford v Donegal, Enniskillen, 12.15pm.

ESB All-Ireland MFC quarter-final: Kerry v Mayo, Cusack Park, Ennis 2pm.

All-Ireland JFC Final: Kerry v Roscommon, Cusack Park, Ennis, 3.30pm.