LAST UPDATE | Aug 10th 2022, 8:01 PM
PLANS FOR A live referee mic at next Sunday’s Wexford county senior hurling final as part of the TV coverage, have had to be shelved due to a directive from the GAA at national level.
The new initiative was trialled last Sunday for the Kerry senior hurling final on TG4 and was praised by viewers as an innovative development.
A TG4 spokesperson confirmed to The42 today that they were set to employ the live referee mic again in next Sunday’s decider in Wexford but the GAA have stepped in to halt the plans.
The Wexford county board were happy to accommodate the plans for the referee mic on the day for the game between St Martin’s and Ferns St Aidan’s at Chadwicks Wexford Park.
A GAA spokesperson told The42 this evening that they were not aware beforehand of the ref mic being trialled last weekend. They believe such a development will require more discussion and education if it is to be implemented on a more regular basis in live TV coverage and could possibly need a policy change.
"I'm only three yards away from it"
— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) August 7, 2022
Live mic ar @GAA_BEO atá ar úsáid don céad uair riamh!!#GAABEO pic.twitter.com/xKHFWekbeU
Last Sunday’s game in Tralee saw referee John O’Halloran from the Bruree club in Limerick in the spotlight. Viewers of the TG4 coverage were able to hear his reasoning for decisions during the game between Causeway and Ballyduff. The match at Austin Stack Park saw Causeway crowned champions after they triumphed 2-15 to 0-16.
It marked the first time the development had occurred in GAA live TV coverage. The 2015 All-Ireland football final saw a live mic used for referee David Coldrick as Dublin played Kerry, with the audio later used for an end of season documentary. A livestream of a senior football game by the Fermanagh county board last month also utilised the technology.