Battle begins for hurling tickets – as footballers aim to make it a double date

How their tickers can survive another 70-plus minutes of nerve-jangling action is a mystery . . . but thousands of Galway GAA supporters are back on the ticket hunt as the county’s senior hurlers qualified for a second successive All-Ireland final.

And despite this being the Tribesmen’s third All-Ireland final appearance in four years, the local hurling fraternity’s appetite for success – and tickets – remains insatiable.

Their opponents, Limerick, are bidding to win the Liam McCarthy Cup for the first time in 45 years, and they haven’t featured in a senior decider since 2007, meaning demand for tickets from the Shannonsiders has soared.  Ticket allocations are the very same as last year but the allocation to Galway clubs will be reduced by about 2,500. Last year, there were only 400 or 500 season ticket holders but that jumped to around 3,000 this year, thanks to the 2017 success.

Season ticket-holders are guaranteed an All-Ireland final ticket but they tend to be members of clubs anyway so the ‘true’ fans who have followed captain David Burke and Co all year shouldn’t miss out.

Galway fans have little time to regrow their nails after watching the heart-stopping semi-final replay over Clare in Thurles last Sunday . . . the final is in ten days’ time, on August 19, earlier than previous years due to the revamped championship and the visit of Pope Francis to Croke Park the following week.

These are busy times for Galway GAA supporters – the only team to be out of the championship race this late in the season is the Galway U20 footballers.

All other teams – ladies’ footballers, camogie, senior and minor hurling, and senior and minor football – all remain in the hunt for silverware while the u21 hurlers were favourites to beat Tipperary last night in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Kevin Walsh’s senior footballers take on Dublin this Saturday at Croke Park, a first semi-final appearance in 17 years and Galway supporters have been urged to ‘park’ the hurling euphoria – for now – and to back the footballers.

“It’s a great time to be a Galway GAA supporter,” said Pat Kearney, Chairman of Galway County Board.

See full story – in news and sport – in this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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