HAVE you in the last week called your uncle in Longford for the first time in six years, or facebooked that lad who was in your class in 1st year who coincidentally enough is now a manager in Ulster Bank? If so, then you are probably experiencing a wave of ticket frenzy, common to many other Mayo-ians at the moment.
Fair or unfair, we are all well aware of the reality of the distribution of All – Ireland final tickets to the wider GAA community. A breakdown of last year’s distribution, available here, shows why some of the unlikeliest of people can get their hands on these most precious pieces of paper.
All week rumour and counter rumour about the size of Mayo’s ticket allocation spread through the county and as a result what each of the already request burdened clubs will receive. The e-mail containing each Donegal clubs inflated looking ticket allocation, only added further to the rumour mill.
Yesterday the Mayo county Board met with Croke Park Officials and received an allocation believed to be between 8,000 and 10,000.
Over 70% of this allocation will be going to the clubs from Wednesday onwards. As explained to delegates at the County Board meeting last Friday, the allocation of tickets to clubs will not be based on the amount of members a club has but rather their grade. The distribuition is as follows:
- Senior – 100 tickets (50 Stand, 50 Terrace)
- Intermediate – 80 tickets (40 Stand, 40 Terrace)
- Junior – 60 tickets (30 Stand, 30 Terrace)
On top of this basic allocation, club delegates were made aware at the county board meeting that each club will have the option of purchasing an extra 20 ticket’s with a contribution of €1,000 and another 20 tickets if they raise a further €1,000. Clubs who have representation on the county panel will receive an extra 10 tickets per player.
The five top performing clubs in the county board development draw will also receive an additional 25 tickets. The three main urban clubs Ballina, Castlebar and Westport (where demand will be particularly acute) will receive an additional 50 tickets each, as well as any surplus of tickets made available by clubs not availing of the additional 40 tickets
If clubs contribute €2,000 for the additional tickets, a Senior club without a county panellist will receive a minimum of 140 tickets, Intermediate clubs 120, while a standard Junior club will receive 100.
Chairde Maigh Eo members will of course be entitled to buy one ticket each but will be given the option to purchase a second if they pay in advance for next year’s season ticket.
In what is believed to be a first in Mayo, any player who has worn the green and red in championship football will be guaranteed a ticket. This fitting gesture will incorporate approximately 350 – 400 players who have played for Mayo as far back as 1945.
Mayo PRO, Aiden McLoughlin is confident that the County Board will be able to provide the clubs and supporters with enough tickets to satisfy demand;
“Through all their allocations clubs will get more tickets than ever before. I think the people that need to get a ticket and that need to be accommodated are going to get them through all the different ways.”
Club secretaries and chairman now have the unenviable task of playing God for the next week and a half, while the loyal and not so loyal disciples wait in GAA purgatory.
Could be time to start ringing the American cousins.
Over The Black Spot 