Patrick O'Sullivan sorry for Kerry fans who won't get to see Louth game

But county chairman says Kingdom have been well served by RTÉ and GAAGO

Wed, 05 Jun, 2024 - 06:56

John Fogarty

Kerry chairman Patrick O’Sullivan has sympathised with the county’s older supporters who won’t be able to see Sunday week’s final round game with Louth (3pm throw-in), which will neither be televised nor streamed.

However, O’Sullivan feels Kerry have been reasonably well served by coverage of their games in the last two years. All of the team’s four previous SFC matches this season have been shown on RTÉ or GAAGO. In 2023, the corresponding fixture with Louth was the only one of Kerry’s eight championship games that wasn’t broadcasted on TV or online.

The Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) confirmed on Tuesday that All-Ireland Group 4 Kerry-Louth game, which Jack O’Connor’s men need to draw or win to secure an All-Ireland quarter-final, is the only one of the four top-of-the-table games that won’t be carried on either of the platforms.

However, GAAGO will show the other game in the group between third and fourth-placed Monaghan and Meath, who are both aiming for their first group win. On Saturday, the Group 1 meeting of Derry and Westmeath, who have both lost all of their three championship games this season, will also be shown on the streaming service.

Cork’s Group 2 clash with Tyrone on Saturday week forms part of a double-header with their hurlers’ All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against the Joe McDonagh Cup winners, Laois or Offaly, in Portlaoise or Tullamore. The football fixture will also be shown live on GAAGO (3pm).

O’Sullivan said of RTÉ and GAAGO’s decisions not to cover Kerry: “The biggest thing is older people who have served the association and society as a whole have more difficulty getting to games, and I feel for those who won’t be able to go to the game.

“At the same time, I don’t think there has been too many Kerry games that have not been shown since GAAGO was introduced. I don’t know if there’s an easier way to fix it.” O’Sullivan added there’s a finite number of games that can be screened on RTÉ and GAAGO.

“Not every game can be televised. There is only so much space on RTÉ, TV3 didn’t take up the package and Sky pulled out because they didn’t think they were getting the value.

“GAAGO filled a hole and is supplying a service that otherwise wouldn’t be there. A lot of us are of an age who can remember when All-Ireland semi-finals and finals were the only live GAA matches shown on TV and the coverage of the championships has improved so much since then.

“The GAA has to generate revenue. I don’t know how else were are to going to pay for all the stadiums falling into disrepair without the help of money that comes from media channels.” Saturday’s Joe McDonagh Cup final winners, Laois or Offaly, meet Cork in their home venue on Saturday week. However, the home backing is likely to be outnumbered by the visitors’ strong support and the added presence of the Cork footballers, who are coming off a fine win over Donegal and need a point to automatically make the last eight of the All-Ireland SFC.

Dublin and Mayo will face off in Dr Hyde Park on Sunday week at 3.45pm. It will be the second game in succession for Mayo at the Roscommon town venue having defeated the hosts there last weekend.

The Mayo executive had made a request to the CCCC that the counties’ neutral game be played outside of Croke Park, although it is understood that sentiment wasn’t shared by the Mayo senior football set-up. Dr Hyde Park has a capacity of 22,000.

It’s a game that will be carried live by RTÉ as will the Group 1 meeting of Galway and Armagh in Sligo’s Markievicz Park at 1.45pm earlier that afternoon.

The CCCC were able to split some group games over two days as in the case of Derry-Westmeath and Roscommon-Cavan neither of either couplet can catch Armagh or Galway and Dublin or Mayo.

Saturday, June 15.

All-Ireland SFC, Round 3.

Group 1.

Derry v Westmeath, Páirc Esler 7pm (Live GAAGO).

Group 2.

Roscommon v Cavan, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park 5pm.

Group 3.

Donegal v Clare, Hastings Insurance MacHale Park 3pm.

Tyrone v Cork, Laois Hire O’Moore Park/Glenisk O’Connor Park 3pm (Live GAAGO).

All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-finals.

Offaly v Cork/Wexford, Glenisk O’Connor Park Time TBC

Laois v Cork/Wexford, Laois Hire O’Moore Park Time TBC.