The GAA sent the health and safety lads down to Munster for an audit of the province’s stadia. The news was not good.
The GAA’s National Infrastructure and Safety Committee sent Jeremy Clarkson’s favourite people out to inspect every ground in the country and the lads in Munster have been hit hard, guaranteeing a frantic scramble for tickets in Munster next summer.
The big problem is Cork’s crumbling temple Páirc Uí Chaoimh. It’s current capacity is 43,500 but the Sunday Independent reports that they may be restricted to as little as 20,000 when the final safety audits come in next year.
Cork are scheduled to host Kerry in the Munster SFC semi-final there in June so the scramble for tickets will now be intense.
The Munster SHC semi-final between Cork and either Tipperary or Limerick is also scheduled there, and again the demand for tickets will far outweigh a capacity of 20,000.
Obviously safety must come first and there have been some minor incidents at the Cork venue in recent years but the work involved to fix this, and the loss of revenue from far fewer ticket sales, will hit the province hard.
Semple Stadium in Thurles also faces a small cut from its capacity of 53,500 as does the Gaelic Grounds, but Fitzgerald Stadium should escape any cuts.
Walsh Park in Waterford and Cusack Park in Ennis will also take hits of various sizes.
