The GAA attendance figures wil receive a major boost this weekend when the Hurling qualifier between Kilkenny and Tipperary is expected to sell out at Nowlan Park.
The match will see one of the sides, who have gone head to head in three of the last four All Ireland Finals, eliminated at this stage for the first time in over a decade and a half.
Weekend numbers will also be boosted by Dublin’s appearance in the Leinster Hurling Final at Croke Park on Sunday and by the Munster Football Final at Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney.
Last year’s annual gate receipts showed an increase of €2.5 million on those from 2011 but this was largely down to the windfall of the All Ireland Hurling final replay which generated €2.8 million.
Nevertheless it was still a very strong performance given the competition from the European Championships and the Olympics. Events of recent weeks are expected to see another year of progress with new faces emerging in hurling and a number of high profile replays already adding to the numbers passing through the turnstiles.
The importance of gate receipts can be seen in its accounting for 50% of commercial revenues at the Association.
At the publication of last year’s figures in March, GAA Finance Director Tom Ryan outlined the breakdown of where attendance receipts go within the organisation. The two largest single strands are money being fed directly to clubs and money going towards the medium to long term development of Gaelic Games in Ireland and overseas.
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GAA Look Forward to Attendance Boost
