Sport
OPINION: GAA’s shift to online ticketing leaves older fans out in the cold
by Eamonn Fitzgerald
This week I am returning to an issue I have highlighted previously in this column. The biblical story of “no room at the inn” sprang to my mind prior to the colleges final at Lewis Road on Saturday afternoon last.
As usual for matches in the stadium, the stewarding was excellent, but some supporters did not gain entry. Oh yes, there was plenty of room inside in the stadium, both in the stand and on the terraces. My estimate was an attendance of about 2,000, but it could - and should - have been more.
Some people arrived at the gates with their tenners but were refused entry. I met many of these disgruntled patrons, all great supporters of the GAA over their lifetimes. Entry to the game was by pre-paid ticket only. The GAA is moving very much to the cashless norm of all-ticket games only, especially intercounty and also big club games. This colleges game was also cashless.
I can see some logic to this relatively new departure by the GAA. One can buy a match ticket online. All you need then is your mobile phone to book a ticket, which can be scanned from your phone at the turnstiles.
Scan yes, so easy, but while it isn’t a scam, some genuine supporters are being denied access. And most of these are older people, who may not be tech-savvy. They have not embraced the digital age and are uncomfortable with modern technology. They are unable, or afraid, to press the correct button.
There are still people who do not have a credit card and even if they do, they are very reluctant to give out their account details when the message comes up to ‘proceed to buy’.
In the case of last Saturday’s game, the Munster PPS council, the organisers of the fixture, did not get the message out early enough and clearly enough that it was an all-ticket game. Social media is not frequented by the cohort of supporters who turned up with their OAP rate of a fiver (great value by Munster PPC). Everyone does not log on to Facebook. How were they to know that admission had to be pre-paid?
Imagine the grandparents arriving at Lewis Road to cheer on their grandchildren on this big colleges final day. Will the youngsters make the Kerry minors?
It would have been a very easy thing to do on Saturday last to have a ticket van parked outside the grounds where people could give cash for a ticket and then proceed into the game.
That is done for the intercounty and big club matches. The facility to purchase match tickets from local retail outlets gives some people the opportunity to buy one, but we need only look at the experience in the week before the Kerry v Dublin game for clarification. The tickets went online on the Monday, but by lunchtime the online tickets and the availability to purchase in a local supermarket ceased to exist. The match was an early sell-out.
I met too many disgruntled people outside the Fitzgerald Stadium on Saturday last. Genuine GAA supporters deserve better. Technology is not infallible. In December 2020, the GAA nationally paid out a reported €10 million to Ticketmaster, the USA company owned by Live Nation Entertainment, to provide a five-year service contract.
On Sunday last the system broke down, causing pandemonium for people who wished to attend the National League hurling games.
Get back to the system of allocating the tickets through the clubs. The genuine supporter will then be rewarded for attending club games and supporting the club’s lotto.
Sport
Jack O’Connor’s Kerry squad is looking deeper and stronger (but the proof will be in the eating)
As we reach the midway point of the 2025 season, Adam Moynihan takes a close look at Kerry’s strength in depth
As the Kerry players, management team and backroom staff huddled together for a photo with the Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh Cup in front of the Hogan Stand, one of the photographers raised his fist in the air, trying to illicit something resembling a celebratory scene. No joy.
Victory over Mayo had been secured in convincing enough fashion but winning the league has never been grounds for buoyant celebrations as far as Kerry are concerned. Retaining Division 1 status and unearthing some new talent is generally enough to tick the springtime box ahead of the serious business of the championship. Once that has been achieved, anything else is gravy.
Going by the disappointing loss to Armagh in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, the need for new blood was especially great heading into the 2025 season. The team faded badly down the stretch and into extra time against the Orchard County with overdependence on core players glaringly obvious. It wasn’t the only reason they lost but Kerry simply didn’t get enough from their supporting cast on the day.
With that in mind, Jack O’Connor knew he had to work on the depth of his squad during this league campaign, and you’d have to say he made a pretty good fist of it.
Starting in goal, the situation here is clear with Shane Murphy providing back-up to Shane Ryan.
Moving out the field, in recent years Kerry have generally gone with Jason Foley at full back, Tom O’Sullivan at left corner back, and one of Paul Murphy or Graham O’Sullivan at right corner back.
After making his debut in the league in 2024, Damien Bourke has emerged as a genuine right corner back alternative with some strong performances that have vastly enhanced his reputation. Not many Kerry players came out of the Dublin defeat with extra credit to their name but Bourke was brave and tenacious, bursting out of defence and using the ball wisely. He was replaced as a starter by the experienced Murphy in later rounds but the Tralee man capped his league with a goal off the bench against Galway in Salthill.
Dylan Casey also got extended game time in the absence of Tom O’Sullivan and he acquitted himself professionally. He has a solid head on his shoulders and you get the impression that Jack O’Connor would now be comfortable throwing him into any given situation without hesitation.
The versatile Graham O’Sullivan is also an option at corner back and it looks like he’ll need to slot in somewhere other than his natural position of half back as Brian Ó Beaglaoich and Gavin White are nailed on starters at 5 and 7. O’Sullivan lined out at half forward against Galway and Mayo, underlining his flexibility and importance to the team.
There could be a changing of the guard taking place at centre back with Mike Breen seemingly shaking off the injury woes that have held back his progress with Kerry to date. With regular number 6 Tadhg Morley unavailable for selection for most of the league, Breen slotted seamlessly into that crucial central role, and he looked really confident against Mayo on Sunday. As things stand, Morley will be doing well to displace Breen but either way Kerry should have two good centre back options heading into the summer months.
Midfield has been a head scratcher for Kerry for a number of years but in Diarmuid O’Connor and Joe O’Connor they appear to have found a winning combination. Diarmuid was playing the best football of his career up to his injury against Armagh in Round 6 so getting his shoulder right for championship is of paramount importance to Kerry’s chances.
Joe is a guaranteed starter too but his assured display at wing forward against Armagh was interesting in that it opens the door for a third midfielder to start. Seán O’Brien and Barry Dan O’Sullivan both applied themselves admirably when called upon in the league and the manager should feel like he can trust them more now than he did 12 months ago.
Joe O’Connor’s arrival as a half forward candidate has improved Kerry’s options to the extent that it’s difficult to predict how they will line out from 10 to 12 in the Munster Championship. Micheál Burns has done quite well upon his reintroduction to the team after being dropped from the panel in 2024, and Paudie Clifford is looking sharp at centre forward. Tony Brosnan and Dylan Geaney are options along this line too, although Dylan has been operating as a withdrawn inside forward to date – a role Tony is also capable of playing.
Of course, Seánie O’Shea will have to fit in somewhere in this department when he fully recuperates from his knee ligament injury, so it will be interesting to see how Jack O’Connor works this conundrum out. File under ‘good problems’.
Dara Moynihan is still recovering from a hip injury and has not yet featured in 2025. He would naturally be an option at 10 if he can get back up to speed. Meanwhile, Darragh Lyne, Ruairí Murphy and Cathal Ó Beaglaoich all featured at half forward in the league.
David Clifford and Paul Geaney will play at 13 and 14 with Dylan Geaney in pole position to start at 15 on the back of a really good run of form, perhaps excepting the league final in which he was relatively quiet. Tony Brosnan is a prime candidate to challenge Dylan for that spot; the Dr Crokes player has kicked some fantastic scores in each of his last three appearances as a substitute.
As for out-and-out inside forwards, Conor Geaney and Killian Spillane are likely to be used as impact subs.
All told Kerry do appear to have better depth than they had last year, particularly with the emergence of second season players like Bourke, O’Brien and Dylan Geaney as legitimate options, and with Breen beginning to fulfil his potential. Burns’ comeback and Joe O’Connor’s newfound ability to play the 12 position also help.
As always, though, the proof will be in the eating. We will have to wait for the suffocating heat of do-or-die championship matches to find out if this squad is as deep and dependable as it looks on paper.
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