THE ‘FULL HOUSE’ signs are soon set to go up for Sunday’s double-header of Gaelic football All-Ireland quarter-final games.
The clashes of Derry and Cork, with Dublin and Mayo headlining, will be in front of a packed Croke Park at around 82,000 capacity.
At the time of writing, all that was left to purchase was Nally Stand tickets, which will not last long.
Saturday’s games between Kerry and Tyrone, with the derby game of Armagh and Monaghan topping the bill, has also brought immense demand, with an attendance of around 65,000 expected.
GAA Director of Communications, Alan Milton, told The 42, “It’s heading for a sell-out. It’s the busiest quarter-final weekend… I don’t know if there’s been a busier one, in terms of attendance.
“Everything is about pairings. The last few weeks have been really good for football. In terms of the amount of competitive games and teams that still have a chance of progressing.”
He attributed some of the excitement to the new format of the All-Ireland football championships, with the group format providing many pitfalls and plot twists.
“This is the first Rodeo for the new system, if you like. There was some apprehension around how it might work. I think the last two weekends have shown up the merits of it. There were very few dead rubbers and I think Clare were the only team going into the last weekend of group games with nothing to play for,” said Milton.
“Then you also have the advantages and incentive of trying to finish on top of the group for the reasons that you had an extra week’s rest and you avoided having to play three weeks on the bounce.
“This has come together like this. Twinned with the incredible draw we had on Monday morning and the rivalries that are going to be renewed, some of their neighbourly, it all makes for an incredible weekend of Gaelic football.
“So, we are heading for a full house on Sunday and something in the region of 65,000 for Saturday.”
Milton also advised caution among fans who might be desperate for tickets, to not resort to the black market.
“We would urge supporters to only buy tickets from official sources. The technology being what it is, there will be people out to make a quick buck, nefariously. We don’t want anyone to get burned,” he added.
