McKenna Cup - at what entry fee will you stop attending?

[meatsy86]

I thought £9 was a ridculous amount to pay last night especially for a student paying in towatch a student team participating!! As was the case last year also there was a different rate for OAP's of £5, but yet there are no concessions for students!! The Ulster Council really do need to have a look at their pricing structure for such mediocre friendlies!

[behind the wire]

Woobler - correct on all counts. £9 to see such a game is too steep. £5 is plenty for these games.

The programme was good value for £1 though.

How do we go about taking the ulster council to task about admission prices? could it be put onto the agenda for the ulster convention by the clubs?

[pintsofguinness]

f**k me 9 quid in to a glorified friendly is some joke. At least 4 quid too much.  - what price are the leagues going to be btw?

[T Fearon]

Just watch prices for all competitions go through the roof when the GAA loses the rental income from Croke Park.

My 75 euro season ticket which grants access to all seven league games (and probably the final itself) and the first championship game looks like really good value now!

[Mid Down Gael]

Great question? Ridiculous amount, though a highlight of my night was when a guy I went with paid 10 euro in 20 cent change. The money collector was very much unimpressed but could do f@@k all about. Will strongly consider doing it next time myself   

Done the same at UUJ V Armagh yeaterday myself and money collector at turnstyle asked me what the f**k is this? hell slap it up them. I was at turnstlye in Newry last night with two teenage students and they took full £9 off them. Thats totally wrong and does not encourage young fans to attend.

[T Fearon]

What you have to understand is that the Ulster Provincial Council treats patrons with contempt. Last year they allocated the worst possible quality tickets to season ticket holders in Armagh and Tyrone for the Championship game in Clones, whereas in all other provinces season ticket holders got the best quality tickets

[down6061689194]

I was at turnstlye in Newry last night with two teenage students and they took full £9 off them. Thats totally wrong and does not encourage young fans to attend.

I'm 17 now and try to pull the u16. I dont look very old. Still wanted £9 off me. It was a fiver OAP/Student.

[Bitta-Banter]

Personally feel £9 was too much,we drove length of county to get and then charged £9 in.£5 is fair enough,lets face it the GAA arent doin anything to attract fans back,overpriced,freezing etc.. Its more the diehards who go to Mckenna cup games and the GAA seem out to piss them off.

[down6061689194]

Maybe they should offer 3 games for a score or something to make it more attractive to the people who wouldnt mind attending all 3 games.

But, all teams a fan needs £27 to follow, then a further £18 for semi and final.

£45.  Same as an All Ireland Semi Final ticket.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

I was at turnstlye in Newry last night with two teenage students and they took full £9 off them. Thats totally wrong and does not encourage young fans to attend.

I'm 17 now and try to pull the u16. I dont look very old. Still wanted £9 off me. It was a fiver OAP/Student.

There was definitely no student rate. I'm not sure that the price would put me off going to Armagh matches but I'd say I'd probably have taken a run into Newry for the QUB v Down match last night only for the price. Didn't fancy spending €20 on admission fees for 2 McKenna cup matches.

The one thing I will say about the Ulster Council is that there is surely a bit of fat that could be cut from their running costs to avoid the need for extortionate admissions. For example, all club officers in Armagh had a training day last Saturday run by the Ulster Council (I think all counties will be having something similar). Now it was a very well run, informative and useful morning but it really didn't need to be held in a plush hotel with a 3 course lunch provided. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my nice meal but realistically everybody there would have been more than satisfied with cheaper accomodation in a hall with a few rooms somewhere so long as it was properly heated with a few sandwiches and sausage rolls and that for lunch. I'm not sure how much the occasion would have cost the Ulster Council but it certainly seemed like unnecessary expenditure.

Just a thought.

[mountainboii]

Maybe its a bit cynical, but its difficult not to get the impression that the Ulster Council are well aware that its only the hardcore supporter that attend these game, and that these are the same people willing to pay whatever it takes to get in, and that these people are therefore the easiest to take advantage of when you want to squeeze out an extra few pound.

As someone else has already stated, its not the way to treat the most dedicated supporters.

[orangeman]

£9 far too much for a friendly match.

[020304 Tir Eoghain]

£9 far too much for a friendly match.

They ran out of change at one of the turnstiles today. Quite a few got in FOC after about 10 mins or so 

[Gold]

But until there's a notable effect on attendances, I'll put my hands up and say I'm wrong.

How many were at tonight's game? three or four thousand maybe? Obviously those who went tonight didn't think £9 was too much. Also it was free for under 16s.
I am sure there was a decent crowd in Crossmaglen this afternoon as well so obviously the paying public don't think the admission fee is too strong.

The thing is--most people wouldn't know the price untill they get to the match--you are basically forced to pay whatever they charge because if you've travelled to a game you're not going to turn round and go home when you reach the gate as they've put the price up--it' a disgrace

when i got to casement today i couldn't believe it was £9 in --i was only coming from a mile away but i still wouldnt turn round and go home --as i'd made the effort to go to the game --if you'd travelled from Derry you defo wouldnt turn round due to the price--its an absolute disgrace --no student rate --sickening.

£9 for the slow, pedestrian, inevitably error- riden early season fare on show is a disgrace

[Trevor Hill]

£9 for the slow, pedestrian, inevitably error- riden early season fare on show is a disgrace

Its the McKenna Cup, you know what you are getting before you go. Its not going to be championship pace, its not going to be hard hitting, as a lot of other posters have already said its not much more than a glorified friendly. But £9 isn't really a great deal of money in this day and age, I am sure you would pay more in to watch Larne v Newry. There were roughly 4000 at last nights game in Newry, not a bad turn out for what many class as an over priced friendly. We`ll probably have more there on Wednesday evening.