GAA hikes price of tickets for league games but concessions return

JUST THE TICKET: A general view of FBD Semple Stadium. Picture: Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile

The GAA has increased the price of its major games for the forthcoming Allianz Leagues by 20% but reintroduced concessions for students and senior citizens.

Admission for an adult to Division 1 and 2 games in football and Division 1 matches in hurling has risen from €15 to €18. Students and old age pensioners (OAPs) will be charged €15.

For Division 3 and 4 football fixtures and Division 2 hurling games, a regular ticket remains priced at €10 and a reduction of €8 for students and OAPs. Entry to Division 3 hurling matches is a flat €5. Admission is free to all league games for juveniles, those under the age of 16.

It’s the second time in four years that an adult ticket for top-level league fare has increased and marks a jump of a third since the early bird offer in 2018 when admission was €12.

The GAA last year did away with the pre-match day incentive, which provided discounts of up to 25% on admission when purchased on the day of the fixture. In 2022, all senior inter-county league and championship games became all-ticket affairs as part of the organisation’s cashless ticketing policy and admission had to be secured purchased prior to approaching a venue.

They had also jettisoned reductions for students and OAPs but entry for them at top level league games from the end of the month is €15, the same as it was last season.

In the coming weeks, the GAA is expected to report that 2022 Allianz League gate receipts have grown 4% from the previous normal season of 2019 with crowds having improved by 1% between those years. Counties last year received over €3 million in gate receipts from the 2022 league.

In October, the GAA announced they were freezing their base season ticket prices for 2023. After raising them by 25% in 2021, the €150 price is retained for Division 1 and 2 in football and Division 1 in hurling for the new season. Division 3 and 4 season tickets are €100 as before.

In his annual report, Munster GAA chief executive Kieran Leddy spoke about the change to a cashless system. “Munster GAA was heading in this direction even before the Covid 19 pandemic forced the removal of cash handling at venues. This has been somewhat controversial, but it is undoubtedly the correct thing to do. Cash at venues presents security issues and safety issues for staff and stewards.” 

Tickets for all league round games are now available on the GAA website. They can also be bought in advance of games via Centra and SuperValu stores.