The Croke Park Experience

[Beffs]

It is mass produced slop, concocted for the masses. I only ever eat the food there, when in dire need. Mind you, the worst culinary experience of my life - not just my GAA one - was from a chipper van outside Nowlan Park. I can still see the sweat falling from the uncovered hair of the solo worker, into the food he was grilling, his grubby, ungloved hands as he took my money and handled my food with the same hand... and the taste of the cremated shoe leather, that masqueraded as a piece of edible food. At least Croke Park/Aramark make an effort to enforce some health and safety standards at HQ.

[JimStynes]

Some yaps in here. If you don't like Croke Park then don't go.

[Rossfan]

Piss off "Jim Stynes".
As paying "patrons" we have a right to criticise what we don't like.
As supporters we'll go wherever our team plays.

[Syferus]

Piss off "Jim Stynes".
As paying "patrons" we have a right to criticise what we don't like.
As supporters we'll go wherever our team plays.

Yer a tad spoilt if you think there's any other world class stadium in the developed world that lets you see top tier sport for a cheaper price than Croke Park.

About the only thing bad about it is the food prices but that's mostly the same as other big stadiums.

[Dinny Breen]

To me the Croke Park Experience is

1. Overpriced tickets. Nonsense. The price of tickets is very, very good, compared to other sports, especially as more often than not, you get to see more than one game on the day.

2. Crap atmosphere. A massive over generalisation. The quality of the game, the competitive aspect to it and the history of the two teams playing has a big role to play in the atmosphere on the day. The Dublin/Tyrone game was over as a contest after five minutes. Hence the crap atmosphere. The hurling final was a different ball game entirely. To say that every single game has a crap atmosphere, is ridiculous. It is not the fault of Croke Park (the stadium, not the GAA as a whole) that Kildare play so few exciting, competitive games there.

3. Expensive Parking. Croke Park doesn't have any parking. So how can you call it expensive? It is an inner city stadium. It is hard to find any of them, with multi storey car parks attached. Parking is free on many of the the surrounding roads, especially on Sundays. I have no sympathy for the GAA supporter who expects to be able to rock up to an 82,000 seater stadium, park right next door to it, have a handy get away and oh yeah, do it all for 50p.

4. Crap food at all levels. No argument there. The near constant smell of cheap, mass produced curry sauce (which is watery as fcuk when poured over your chips,) is stomach churning. And the beer ain't much better ! But show me an equivilent stadium of its size, that has decent grub.

I have serious Croke Park fatigue, Corporate GAA have sucked the joy out of the stadium. Provincial grounds so much better. My highlight of the summer was kicking a football around with my son and daughter in O'Connor Park after the Kildare/Meath game. That was an experience and a memory.

I hate when people use double headers as a justification for high ticket prices, I am there to see one team and one team only. And double headers kill the atmosphere. I am not a happy clappy fan. Majority of football games in Croke Park in my opinion are shit spectacles, the odd game doesn't make up for that.

[Dinny Breen]

I had a chuckle at this line in the linked balls.ie article in the OP:

"Tomás Meehan is the GAA's Chief Information Officer - he also won an All-Ireland with Galway in 1998 and an All-Ireland club title with Caltra in 2004. When you step inside the doors of Croke Park, presume everyone has an All-Ireland medal, even the person asking if you'd like milk with your coffee."

I wonder what were the chances that the best person for that role would have won Sam Maguire?

Quite high?

The shortlist for the role only comprised IC or ex-IC players.

Really?  Is that even legal?  Or is that just the way the shortlist ended up having been open to all potential candidates?

It was open and advertised by one of the Senior IT recruiters and some non-IC qualified people applied - they just didn't make the shortlist.

The GAA pay significantly below the market rate but they do emphasize a requirement that candidates have a background in the GAA.

This was pitched at €125k IIRC

That's below market rate for a top CIO. I think their model is right btw they are able to attract high level candidates precisely because people want to work in the GAA and will take less for the privilege. I see the same in the IRFU, they pay below market rate as well.

[Redhand Santa]

To me the Croke Park Experience is

1. Overpriced tickets. Nonsense. The price of tickets is very, very good, compared to other sports, especially as more often than not, you get to see more than one game on the day.

2. Crap atmosphere. A massive over generalisation. The quality of the game, the competitive aspect to it and the history of the two teams playing has a big role to play in the atmosphere on the day. The Dublin/Tyrone game was over as a contest after five minutes. Hence the crap atmosphere. The hurling final was a different ball game entirely. To say that every single game has a crap atmosphere, is ridiculous. It is not the fault of Croke Park (the stadium, not the GAA as a whole) that Kildare play so few exciting, competitive games there.

3. Expensive Parking. Croke Park doesn't have any parking. So how can you call it expensive? It is an inner city stadium. It is hard to find any of them, with multi storey car parks attached. Parking is free on many of the the surrounding roads, especially on Sundays. I have no sympathy for the GAA supporter who expects to be able to rock up to an 82,000 seater stadium, park right next door to it, have a handy get away and oh yeah, do it all for 50p.

4. Crap food at all levels. No argument there. The near constant smell of cheap, mass produced curry sauce (which is watery as fcuk when poured over your chips,) is stomach churning. And the beer ain't much better ! But show me an equivilent stadium of its size, that has decent grub.

I have serious Croke Park fatigue, Corporate GAA have sucked the joy out of the stadium. Provincial grounds so much better. My highlight of the summer was kicking a football around with my son and daughter in O'Connor Park after the Kildare/Meath game. That was an experience and a memory.

I hate when people use double headers as a justification for high ticket prices, I am there to see one team and one team only. And double headers kill the atmosphere. I am not a happy clappy fan. Majority of football games in Croke Park in my opinion are shit spectacles, the odd game doesn't make up for that.

But what are you comparing ticket prices too when you say they are high? Leinster are playing Munster in the pro 14 in the Aviva (very much a secondary competition) and the half decent seated tickets are 55-60 euro. Even for a home game against one of the Scottish teams a lot of the seats are 45-50 euro. I think I saw ulster ticket prices for the seated stand at over £50 for a pro 14 game. I've no idea how much the European games are but presumably they're dearer again and at one stage the six nations games were around 100 euro. Ireland play Moldova next month and tickets are 40-60 euro.

All Ireland quarter finals cost 35 euro with 5 euro tickets widely available for children. Even for the all Ireland semi finals (the biggest games of the year) tickets cost 45 euro with 5 euro children's tickets widely available. Dublin's home league games in croke park are 15 euro for adults and 5 I think for children.

People can argue that the other sports are professional but they have greater source's of income and I'd rather my money went to the gaa where the money got ploughed back into the association rather than pay players huge inflated salaries. I sometimes wonder what people expect from the gaa in terms of ticket prices or where they think the money goes.

[seafoid]

I had a chuckle at this line in the linked balls.ie article in the OP:

"Tomás Meehan is the GAA's Chief Information Officer - he also won an All-Ireland with Galway in 1998 and an All-Ireland club title with Caltra in 2004. When you step inside the doors of Croke Park, presume everyone has an All-Ireland medal, even the person asking if you'd like milk with your coffee."

I wonder what were the chances that the best person for that role would have won Sam Maguire?

Quite high?

The shortlist for the role only comprised IC or ex-IC players.

Really?  Is that even legal?  Or is that just the way the shortlist ended up having been open to all potential candidates?

It was open and advertised by one of the Senior IT recruiters and some non-IC qualified people applied - they just didn't make the shortlist.

The GAA pay significantly below the market rate but they do emphasize a requirement that candidates have a background in the GAA.

This was pitched at €125k IIRC

That's below market rate for a top CIO. I think their model is right btw they are able to attract high level candidates precisely because people want to work in the GAA and will take less for the privilege. I see the same in the IRFU, they pay below market rate as well.

The GAA has a turnover of 60m. It is huge in the national imagination but a Cavan  in business terms

[Hound]

To me the Croke Park Experience is

1. Overpriced tickets. Nonsense. The price of tickets is very, very good, compared to other sports, especially as more often than not, you get to see more than one game on the day.

2. Crap atmosphere. A massive over generalisation. The quality of the game, the competitive aspect to it and the history of the two teams playing has a big role to play in the atmosphere on the day. The Dublin/Tyrone game was over as a contest after five minutes. Hence the crap atmosphere. The hurling final was a different ball game entirely. To say that every single game has a crap atmosphere, is ridiculous. It is not the fault of Croke Park (the stadium, not the GAA as a whole) that Kildare play so few exciting, competitive games there.

3. Expensive Parking. Croke Park doesn't have any parking. So how can you call it expensive? It is an inner city stadium. It is hard to find any of them, with multi storey car parks attached. Parking is free on many of the the surrounding roads, especially on Sundays. I have no sympathy for the GAA supporter who expects to be able to rock up to an 82,000 seater stadium, park right next door to it, have a handy get away and oh yeah, do it all for 50p.

4. Crap food at all levels. No argument there. The near constant smell of cheap, mass produced curry sauce (which is watery as fcuk when poured over your chips,) is stomach churning. And the beer ain't much better ! But show me an equivilent stadium of its size, that has decent grub.

I have serious Croke Park fatigue, Corporate GAA have sucked the joy out of the stadium. Provincial grounds so much better. My highlight of the summer was kicking a football around with my son and daughter in O'Connor Park after the Kildare/Meath game. That was an experience and a memory.

I hate when people use double headers as a justification for high ticket prices, I am there to see one team and one team only. And double headers kill the atmosphere. I am not a happy clappy fan. Majority of football games in Croke Park in my opinion are shit spectacles, the odd game doesn't make up for that.

But what are you comparing ticket prices too when you say they are high? Leinster are playing Munster in the pro 14 in the Aviva (very much a secondary competition) and the half decent seated tickets are 55-60 euro. Even for a home game against one of the Scottish teams a lot of the seats are 45-50 euro. I think I saw ulster ticket prices for the seated stand at over £50 for a pro 14 game. I've no idea how much the European games are but presumably they're dearer again and at one stage the six nations games were around 100 euro. Ireland play Moldova next month and tickets are 40-60 euro.

All Ireland quarter finals cost 35 euro with 5 euro tickets widely available for children. Even for the all Ireland semi finals (the biggest games of the year) tickets cost 45 euro with 5 euro children's tickets widely available. Dublin's home league games in croke park are 15 euro for adults and 5 I think for children.

People can argue that the other sports are professional but they have greater source's of income and I'd rather my money went to the gaa where the money got ploughed back into the association rather than pay players huge inflated salaries. I sometimes wonder what people expect from the gaa in terms of ticket prices or where they think the money goes.

Exactly. People who say that GAA tickets are overpriced are talking absolute shite.

The beer and food on the other hand....

[Beffs]

I hate when people use double headers as a justification for high ticket prices, I am there to see one team and one team only. And double headers kill the atmosphere. I am not a happy clappy fan. Majority of football games in Croke Park in my opinion are shit spectacles, the odd game doesn't make up for that.

Well yeah, but remember who you are going to watch. If I was only ever going to Kildare games, I'd think they were pretty shit spectacles too. 

As for the prices...are they all not the same, when at the same stage of the champo, regardless of the venue? I know they go up, as the champo progresses, but how much is a Leinster final ticket in Croker, compared to a Munster final in the Pairc, or a Connacht final in Salthill?

[Beffs]

But what are you comparing ticket prices too when you say they are high? Leinster are playing Munster in the pro 14 in the Aviva (very much a secondary competition) and the half decent seated tickets are 55-60 euro. Even for a home game against one of the Scottish teams a lot of the seats are 45-50 euro. I think I saw ulster ticket prices for the seated stand at over £50 for a pro 14 game. I've no idea how much the European games are but presumably they're dearer again and at one stage the six nations games were around 100 euro. Ireland play Moldova next month and tickets are 40-60 euro.

All Ireland quarter finals cost 35 euro with 5 euro tickets widely available for children. Even for the all Ireland semi finals (the biggest games of the year) tickets cost 45 euro with 5 euro children's tickets widely available. Dublin's home league games in croke park are 15 euro for adults and 5 I think for children.

They were only a tenner if bought in advance. According to the ads on the telly, there was some sort of deal, where they were even cheaper (per game) if you bought a package deal for all of the games. You usually got to see the hurlers too. Although they are so shite these days, the Dublin Co Board should be paying spectators to watch them, not the other way around. 

[Redhand Santa]

But what are you comparing ticket prices too when you say they are high? Leinster are playing Munster in the pro 14 in the Aviva (very much a secondary competition) and the half decent seated tickets are 55-60 euro. Even for a home game against one of the Scottish teams a lot of the seats are 45-50 euro. I think I saw ulster ticket prices for the seated stand at over £50 for a pro 14 game. I've no idea how much the European games are but presumably they're dearer again and at one stage the six nations games were around 100 euro. Ireland play Moldova next month and tickets are 40-60 euro.

All Ireland quarter finals cost 35 euro with 5 euro tickets widely available for children. Even for the all Ireland semi finals (the biggest games of the year) tickets cost 45 euro with 5 euro children's tickets widely available. Dublin's home league games in croke park are 15 euro for adults and 5 I think for children.

They were only a tenner if bought in advance. According to the ads on the telly, there was some sort of deal, where they were even cheaper (per game) if you bought a package deal for all of the games. You usually got to see the hurlers too. Although they are so shite these days, the Dublin Co Board should be paying spectators to watch them, not the other way around. 

I didn't even factor in the fact that the average county has only 7 league games in the year and maybe about 4/5 on average championship games to pay into. On the other hand the leinster rugby team who I compared prices too would have maybe say 20 pro 14 games and a further 6 plus European games. That's a lot of games to gather up money from. When you actually compare the prices it's crazy to think someone would accuse the gaa prices of being dear.

[rosnarun]

the best thing about croke park is how often it is not sold out .
you can have 50 to 60k attensances and there is no problem getting a ticket on like the half size stadium in lansdowne road.
aprt from finals any one who wants to go can . and any one who wants a shite burger can buy one

[heffo]

I had a chuckle at this line in the linked balls.ie article in the OP:

"Tomás Meehan is the GAA's Chief Information Officer - he also won an All-Ireland with Galway in 1998 and an All-Ireland club title with Caltra in 2004. When you step inside the doors of Croke Park, presume everyone has an All-Ireland medal, even the person asking if you'd like milk with your coffee."

I wonder what were the chances that the best person for that role would have won Sam Maguire?

Quite high?

The shortlist for the role only comprised IC or ex-IC players.

Really?  Is that even legal?  Or is that just the way the shortlist ended up having been open to all potential candidates?

It was open and advertised by one of the Senior IT recruiters and some non-IC qualified people applied - they just didn't make the shortlist.

The GAA pay significantly below the market rate but they do emphasize a requirement that candidates have a background in the GAA.

This was pitched at €125k IIRC

That's below market rate for a top CIO. I think their model is right btw they are able to attract high level candidates precisely because people want to work in the GAA and will take less for the privilege. I see the same in the IRFU, they pay below market rate as well.

But it's not really a top level CIO position - it's not like comparing to even a mid size company - the brief is far different.

[STREET FIGHTER]

Folks

Have all the decent seats for Football League Finals on Sunday sold out and only behind the goals in Davin available??

Or are they due to release more before the day??

Assume only the lower sections & the hill available?

SF