Sarah O'Dwyer on the scramble for big match tickets: Committed GAA fans aren't all club members

Last Thursday the scramble in Limerick and Clare to get tickets for next weekend’s Munster Senior Hurling final began.

While stand tickets for game at the TUS Gaelic Grounds were being distributed via clubs, the terrace tickets were released on general sale.

People queued, both virtually and in person at stores, to purchase the tickets. But, it seems, thousands were left disappointed after they sold out in about 23 minutes. The system also reportedly crashed causing people to miss out, while there were complaints that those who were in a queue online weren’t let further than the waiting room, with other people apparently being kicked out of the queue.

Twitter, as it does in times like this, erupted, and people aired their disappointment. But a couple of tweets in particular caught my eye.

Some people complained that the tickets were released on general sale at all. They suggested the tickets should only be distributed through clubs for club members.

“If you don’t support your club, you don’t support your county.” I have to say I disagree on that one.

Another tweet complained that all the tickets should have been allocated through clubs because “at least that way most of the tickets would have went to the right people”.

Who are “the right people”?

There were also concerns raised that ticket touts would be about to get their hands on tickets, which will be sold on at exorbitant prices. This is the only argument I understand, but even at that I doubt very many touts were able to make it through the waiting room if the general experience is anything to go by.

I don’t have skin in the game for this final and at the end of the day I wasn’t looking for a ticket, so I wasn’t left disappointed.

But, if I was looking for a Munster final ticket I wouldn’t get one through my club because I’m not a member, just like many other non-playing GAA fans across the country.

There is the argument that to support a club properly you should be a member, but in reality for the non-playing member that argument makes no sense. 

We still go to club games and we still go to club fundraisers. We go to white-collar boxing events, and Strictly Come Dancing shows, table quizzes and bake sales.

There are also many people who no longer live in their original ‘home’ parish and therefore being a member of that club makes no sense. Maybe they’re a member of a club in an adopted county to play, or maybe they’re not. Regardless, is that a reason for someone to miss out on a Munster final ticket? I don’t think so.

COMMITTED

I’m sure there are many people from Clare and Limerick who, like me, aren’t a member of a club, and who have been travelling to inter-county games as supporters since they were children. They certainly don’t deserve to be locked out of the ticket-purchasing process.

It also wouldn’t be a great look for the GAA to lock newer followers of Gaelic games out of the ticketing process for games either. How would they ever be able to really grow the game?

Thankfully that’s not generally the case though – barring exceptional circumstances - and usually no one is locked out of the ticket purchasing process. That is, unless you were stuck in a queue to purchase tickets.