There will be skin and hair flying…
And that’s before a ball will even be thrown in on the 2020 club championships.
Initially, all seemed moderately manageable with 500 set to be allowed to attend outdoor events, i.e GAA club games, from July 20. But now, on the back of An Taoiseach Micheal Martin’s revelation that the limit of 200 people will remain in place until August 10, GAA clubs all over are bracing themselves. County boards the length and breadth are bracing themselves.
Here comes a ticket fiasco in late July. Just like the one you’d usually see in September, only a little closer to home and therefore a little more heated. Crucially, all good club people will feel entitled to a ticket and of course, why wouldn’t they? But the bottom line is that a host of these people are set to miss out with clubs, in accordance with the most recent guidelines and restrictions, set to receive no more than 50 tickets each for their members.
That’s because at least a half of the 200 capacity will be taken up by panels, management teams, stewards and the referee’s officials.
200 people at a match until August 10th…when you factor in panels and backroom team ie. selectors manager stats etc, (approx 40 per team = 80) then referee, linesmen and officials (8), gatecheckers (2) and stewards (10 approx) that leaves each club with appr 50 tickets or less.
— James Hayden (@jamesahayden) July 15, 2020
So in an unprecedented turn of events, patrons will no longer be able to stroll up to the turnstiles and hand in a fiver or a tenner on the way in. To deal with this, most county boards have set up online platforms to divide out certain tickets, with club and county season ticket holders generally getting first preference.
But for the most part, these tickets will be issued directly to clubs who will then divide out their lot amongst their members. Toomevara in Tipperary for example have decided to have a raffle for their allowance – a course of action a number of clubs will be expected to follow.
— Toomevara GAA (@ToomeGAA) July 15, 2020
The county championships kick off in anger this Friday down in the sunny south east the Wexford SHC getting us up and running. Over the next few weeks, TG4 will be showing games live in Wexford, Galway, Limerick to name but a few, while most counties have a streaming service in operation.
TG4 are on it this weekend 🤟
FRI July 17 – 7.30
– St Martins v Oulart The Ballagh (Wexford SHC)
SUN July 19 – 2.30
– Kilmacud Crokes v Ballyboden St Endas (Dublin SHC)
– 4.40 GAA Gold 1985 1985
-5.10 Tipp v Kilkenny 1991 All-Ireland final pic.twitter.com/gzyEwTMKBJ— GAA JOE (@GAA__JOE) July 14, 2020
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