40,000 expected at Croker opener

GAA chiefs are preparing for a crowd of more than 40,000 for tomorrow night’s league double header at Croke Park.

Advance ticket sales for the All-Ireland final rematch are said to have been positive so far with Kildare taking on Tyrone in an attractive Division 2 game beforehand.

If the attendance prediction holds up, then it will be a record for a Spring Series event, with just over 35,000 turning out for two separate double headers last year.

Of course those figures pale in comparison to the 81,678 that was on hand for Dublin’s league opener with Tyrone in 2007, the night that Croke Park’s new floodlights were switched on. But given the economic gloom and the fact that nearby Parnell Park could only accommodate 10,000, anything close to 40,000 would represent a major success.

“If you also put it in the context of an international rugby game the following day at the Aviva getting around 50,000, then it’s a great success,” said GAA spokesman Alan Milton.

“If we got over 40,000 we’d feel it was a ringing endorsement of the Spring Series.”

Kildare and Tyrone both get good support on the road and large pockets of white and red are expected in the crowd.