Munster football championship ‘attendances dropping’

AN ‘unmistakable’ downward trend in attendances at Munster football championship games is highlighted by secretary, Simon Moroney, in his report to next week’s annual convention in Lismore.

The average last year was 10,954 — compared to 36,900 in hurling — and a comparison between the cumulative 2006 and 2004 football figures reveals a drop of over 30,000.

The overall average trend is up for the hurling championship, better by more than 7,000 from 2004. And, in relation to the ‘deterioration’ between last year’s figures for football and those from 2004, he points out that six games were played each year and both included a replay in the final.

The cumulative attendance at last year’s games in the senior football championship (the lowest being 1,254 for the meeting of Limerick and Clare on May 21) amounted to 65,724. In sharp contrast the figure for the four games in the hurling championship totalled 147,599.

A crowd of 53,076 turned up for the Cork/Tipp decider in Thurles and this was bigger than the total from the two Cork/Kerry games in the football final (26,220 in Killarney and 23,693 in Pairc Ui Chaoimh).

Overall, it was another good year financially for the Council, with income increasing by 18.47% to €7.43 million — producing a surplus of €191,917.

Gate receipts went over the €4m mark for the third successive year. The total was €4,239,684, representing over 84% of the Council’s income. However, Mr Moroney points out that this would not have been achieved but for the replay in the football final.

Once more, it highlights a reliance ‘on this type of income’. “But for the replay and the hosting of the senior hurling final in the maximum capacity ground in the province, the financial outcome would not be as rosy and the capacity to invest so heavily in development of club and county infrastructure would be correspondingly reduced,’’ he states.

The next biggest ‘earner’ was television fees which accounted for €370,000.

On the games front he expresses hope that the ‘consensus’ Congress proposal on the format for the senior hurling championship (sign-posted at the Cork convention in early December) will be accepted. It follows consultation between the Munster and Leinster Councils and the HDC (Hurling Development Committee).

In brief, it would feature a round robin qualifier involving Galway, the Ulster champions and the losing quarter-finalists in Munster and Leinster — with the top two teams advancing. The beaten semi-finalists in the two provinces would meet on a ‘cross-over’ basis and the winners would play the two teams which emerge from the round robin series.

The next step would involve the two winners being paired with the Munster and Leinster runners-up in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

Significantly, the automatic right of the provincial winners to go straight through to the All-Ireland semi-finals would be restored.

“In the event that this compromise proposal is accepted by Congress, it will bring certainty to the structure after a long period of experimentation,’’ he writes.