“The only way we could come up with the money was actually raise tickets”

John Horan met the question head on.

It felt like a kick in the teeth for good, loyal GAA supporters when the GAA announced last week that there would be a wholesale increase in match ticket prices in 2019. Division One hurling and football league games were upped from €15 to €20. Stand tickets for All-Ireland finals went from €80 to €90 while semi-final admission went up to €50. President of the GAA John Horan was speaking at the launch of the Allianz Hurling League on Monday when he explained the reasons behind the inflation. From an increase in club development grants to stadium redevelopments as well as funding international clubs.

"The decision to raise the ticket prices came about, because we made a commitment to increase the revenue to club development grants from €2million to €4million over a four-year period. It’s something I said in my congress speech that I intended to put the club front and centre. We had the national club forum and we increased it by half a million this year and half a million next year, and so on. So it’s four half-millions over a period of four years. That revenue had to be found. We’re very tight on our administration costs, and our other grant structures here. The only way we could actually come up with the money was actually raise tickets."

"So, in that context, it was felt there was a need there. Half a million from the increased revenue is going to club development. €200,000 is going to the international units. We have definite redevelopment work to be done in terms of Navan, Newbridge, Waterford, and other areas in the next number of years, so we had to try and up that as well to see what we could do there.

When asked whether he feels attendances will drop as a result of the ticket hike, Horan admits that's a possibility but argues that the end justifies the means.

"That is always a risk that you may suffer an initial drop... "But, look, the economy is strong at the moment and we felt that putting all things together, we needed a revenue stream, the economy is strong and certainly our games are popular."

He also stresses that the increase in games last year, through the super 8s and the hurling round-robin, wasn't based on greed or want of money.

"We felt this was the time. I know we were accused when we changed the structure of the competitions last year that the change in our hurling and football structures was purely driven by our greed and want of money, when in actual fact the finances will show that didn't happen. That in actual fact we didn't generate this big pool of money that people thought we were going to. "Look, you have to balance it, you have to be fair. I know some people might make the point why did you have to go to the next round figure of a fiver or a zero, but you have to be practical about these things. "When you're running games and you've people coming through stiles you can't be working out change of two euros and one euro. Fives and tens and twenties is a reasonable way to run it."

And so another increase might come in eight to ten year's time.

"I think history will show that, you know, we raised it in 2011, we're going up in 2019, when will the next increase come? It may not come for another eight to ten years. 

The Na Fianna club man finieshed up by claiming that it's still decent value for supporters, all things considered.

"In the presentation at Central Council the other day, comparisons were made to other sporting costs and to concerts and things like that. "And, in actual fact, the proposal went through and there was no questioning or challenge to the actual idea at all because it was very clearly presented to people that the revenue is coming in and where the revenue is going back and they saw the benefits and merits of that for clubs and international units and county grounds being developed and gaining from it. "All the increases in the National League as I said earlier to your colleagues, that all goes back to the county boards and I gave them a listing of where that actual funding goes in terms of the insurance fund, player injury fund, the county ground, the expenses of the day, a pool of money for weaker counties, and then money to the actual county that partake in the game."

Lots to digest there. Speaking at the launch is Uachtaráin Cumann Lúthchleas Gael John Horan.