Advertisement
Croke Park. INPHO/Donall Farmer
Fixtures

Ladies football chief confirms hurling replay date was already agreed with GAA

Ladies football showpiece has been moved to October due to replay of Galway-Kilkenny showdown at Croke Park.

LADIES FOOTBALL CHIEF Helen O’Rourke says her association were always aware that a drawn hurling decider would effect their own final plans.

Galway and Kilkenny played out a thrilling stalemate at Croke Park yesterday and it was afterwards announced that the replay would take place on 30 September — the day pencilled in for the ladies football showpiece.

The decision to push back the ladies football game has been criticised in some quarters.

“We have always known that in the event of a replay in the hurling final that our football finals would move to 7 October,” said Helen O’Rourke this morning.

“We choose to have our finals on 30 September to maintain the momentum that is generated by the men’s finals. This is ‘peak season’ for interest in Gaelic games. We will work with the GAA and TG4 to ensure that the finals on 7 October are a success and that as small a number of people as possible are affected by the change.”

A LGFA statement reads:

“In recent times the ladies finals have moved twice to facilitate All Ireland final replays in 1996 and 2000 when the football finals finished in draws. Prior to yesterday the All Ireland hurling final hadn’t ended in a draw since 1959. The LGFA chooses to have our final on September the 30th, on the date of the potential hurling replay, as drawn hurling finals are very rare.”

Earlier the GAA announced ticketing arrangements for the hurling replay.

Murph’s Sideline Cut: “You take the two stars and you see the game through their eyes”