Croke Park have faced backlash from GAA supporters for their sale of a limited number of seats from the Cusack Stand.
The lower tier at GAA HQ is undergoing renovations this winter, and seats were torn from the bleachers in the aftermath of last summer's intercounty championship action at the stadium.
36,000 seats total will be removed and replaced ahead of the 2024 championships, at the cost of about €2.8 million to the GAA. Improvements to the dressing rooms and premium level hospitality will bring the total cost to about €15 million.
With so many memories attached to the seats of Croker for GAA fans, Croke Park announced that some of the seats removed from the Cusack Stand would be made available to fans to purchase. However, the minute details of the sale of the seats have angered some fans and pundits - including two-time All-Ireland final referee David Gough.
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Croke Park face backlash for limited sale of Cusack Stand seats
30 July 2023; Kerry supporters, in the Cusack Stand, celebrate after Diarmuid O'Connor had scored a goal during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
On Thursday afternoon, Croke Park tweeted further details of the planned sale of seats from the Cusack Stand, saying:
A very limited number of commemorative seats from Croke Park will go on sale midday tomorrow.
These seats are sold only in pairs and will be numbered & have a commemorative plaque on the back.
Due to the limited availability, seats will be sold on a first come first served basis.
It would later emerge that only 250 of the seats would be placed on sale, out of a total of 36,000 set to be removed from the lower tier of Croke Park over the coming months.
The decision to sell such a small selection of the seats in order to "preserve the novelty and value of the items" (per the Independent) has drawn backlash from fans, with David Gough among those to hit out at GAA HQ.
Gough, who refereed this year's All-Ireland football final between Dublin and Kerry, said on Twitter: "Imagine if Croke Park did something generous for a change instead of making money. Gift a pair of seats to lucky schools, who could use them as Buddy seats on yard...if a child sits on it during playtime, schoolmates notice they have nobody to play with and invite them to join."
Imagine if @CrokePark did something generous for a change instead of making money. Gift a pair of seats to lucky schools, who could use them as Buddy seats on yard.....if a child sits on it during playtime, schoolmates notice they have nobody to play with and invite them to join. https://t.co/safz8957dG
— David Gough (@goughd4) December 14, 2023
Meanwhile, Joe Brolly had a typically Brolly-esque reaction to the news.
What in the name of fuck? https://t.co/FdgSppQWKt
— Joe Brolly (@JoeBrolly1993) December 15, 2023
The seats quickly sold out after going on sale for €350 a pair on Friday at midday (a total cost of €87,500). Delivery was not offered, with every buyer required to personally collect their seats from Croke Park in June 2024.
The sale of just 250 of the seats begs the question of where the remaining thousands of seats will end up - and one GAA fan has actively pushed for them to be raffled off through a lottery, with all ticket sales going to charity.
Eddie Lynch has set up a petition on Change.org calling on Croke Park to set up the raffle for the benefit of GAA fans up and down the country. In the synopsis of the petition, he said:
The GAA is proposing to sell just 250 of these seats to fans. Instead of discarding these seats, I propose that all 36,000 should be made available to fans through a lottery where all the money generated from ticket sales should be given to Charity.
Those lucky enough to get a seat would cherish them as piece of GAA history. Not only would this serve as a unique way for fans to preserve their memories associated with the stadium, but it could also generate significant revenue for good causes.
The for-profit sale of the seats has left a bitter taste in the mouth of some GAA punters, and follows Thursday's news that Limerick businessman JP McManus is to donate €32 million to the GAA, to be divided among all county boards evenly.
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