Ulster Championship 2021

[Franko]

Should tickets not go through the clubs? Club members should get the jump on tickets before the bandwagon support

Many club members don't go near a game all year until there's a final.

There's also plenty of balloons running up and down the country 'supporting' their county, who wouldn't lift a finger to help their local club.

You know the type - young fella always has the most up to date strip, been at every McKenna Cup match since the big snow of 47 but the only players he could name on the club team are the 2 boys playing for the county.

I know who I'd rather give a ticket to.

What about the club members who never go to a county game? Have they any more right to a county ticket than a predominantly county supporter?

I know of lots of people who don't really have much association with their local club, for a number of reasons. A lot of clubs are clannish, two or three families running the show, looking after themselves. It's hard to feel involved if you weren't a top player or don't come from a local footballing dynasty. Or maybe your kids don't play, so you're less likely to stay involved.

Firstly, I'd always prioritise the members of the association over the non-members.

Lets face it - a county match is a nice day out, but it's not exactly work and it does little to help the association other than the price of the ticket (which in our example is a moot point - as the tickets will be sold anyway).

Someone who coaches the kids teams, washes the jerseys, turns up at club fundraisers, takes a job on the committee etc is IMO far more crucial to the GAA than some Nigel who only follows the county team

And should be treated as such when tickets are being allocated - no matter how many times said Nigel has seen the county team play this year

So there should be a pecking order when it comes to AI tickets?

One club member who helps out with the u-10's is more entitled to a ticket than one who cuts the grass? Surely contributing to the club via membership or lotto is important too, even if they don't participate in club activities as such. Not everyone has the time, knowledge or experience  to coach or sit as secretary/treasurer etc.

Also, you do have the time.  You have exactly the same amount of time available as everyone else.

You choose not to allot that time to actively participating in the GAA.

So the GAA chooses not to allot you a ticket for big games.

Couldn't be fairer.

How could you make a case for the opposite?

It's not the GAA who allocates tickets though. It's through the clubs. And once it goes to clubs, it's anything goes. We all know that. If you're the secretary's nephew, treasurer's mistress, you'll get a ticket. You can make an argument that those who coach, wash jerseies etc are more entitled to tickets, but there's nothing in the GAA constitution/rules stating any of that.

So, you might have a person who is a club member but live in the next town, works abnormal hours or has caring responsibilities etc, and he's no hope of getting a ticket? Well, what is that person going to do in that case? Maybe they'll take their £25 annual fee and keep it in their pocket. Or when the lads come round asking for lotto or selling tickets for the big club draw/dinner, they'll be told to get stuffed?

The GAA IS the clubs.  This is a pet hate of mine - everyone thinks 'the GAA' is a bunch of suits in Dublin.  The GAA is all of us (well, those of us who are not too tight to dip into our pockets for the measly membership fee).

There's nothing anywhere in the constitution about tickets.  Irrelevant comment.

Club members should always have a better chance of getting a ticket than non-members.

As for said person in your little example (shall we call him Bleating Benny?)

It's unfortunate for him that all the pressures of these caring responsibilities and abnormal work hours just happen to disappear on the day there's a big county game on?  Into the car, off to Dublin, not a problem.

But there's just NO WAY he'd have the time to do the gate at a club league game.

Poor Benny can't catch a break.

My local club has a lot of members scattered throughout the place. Next town/village and further. Lack of housing/employment can dictate where a lot of your members/players reside. Some  are paid up members to support the club, attend games/functions when they can, subscribe to lotto etc. The previous post is not my situation but a mixture of many I know, and don't belittle those who are in difficult  family/work/financial situations. We all would like to do our bit but it's not always possible.

Anyway, One of my points was where do you draw the line re: tickets? Does the man who lines the pitch get priority over the man who sweeps out the changing rooms? I've seen good club people shafted or humiliated when it comes to tickets. Members who put in years of service to lose out on a ticket when it's obvious the neighbour/nephew/drinking buddy etc of the treasurer/secretary have all been sorted with them. Is that fair?

I'm not disagreeing that active members get priority, but it doesn't always work out that way. And because of the nature of how clubs are run, there'll always be many who are unfairly treated.

Like I said, we have found that the only way to do it is the open draw system, where every paid up member has the ability to throw his/her name in the hat for an equal shot at a ticket.

Active members usually have their own network of people who can sort them out with tickets, networks which they generally have built up in the course of their service to the GAA.

But if your club is run differently, the best way to change that is to get involved yourself and change the way it is run.

You clearly have;

a) The time to attend the games
b) The financial resources necessary to buy a ticket
c) The time to whinge about it on the GAA board

I'd suggest that this time and money could be better spent.

[Blowitupref]

Ulster MFC quarter-finals results from tonight.

Fermanagh 1-12 Cavan 1-11
Tyrone 3-16 Down 0-9
Armagh 0-12 Derry 0-11
Donegal 1-9 Monaghan 0-10

The two semi finals confirmed to take place at Healy Park, Omagh, next week.

Armagh v Donegal Fri 6th Aug, 7.30pm

Fermanagh v Tyrone Sat 7th Aug, 6pm

[Main Street]

I have mixed feelings about the  senior final  and none of them good. Tyrone's fitness levels were impressive v Donegal, nippy feckers on the counterattack.  But there's always a distant hope that quality and integrity will prevail with Monaghan firing on all cylinders.

[Wildweasel74]

I remember our club doing a open draw for tickets one time, myself Secretary and playing at the time, and the treasurer didn't get one. Hence I called it a day the following year.

[Rossfan]

Ulster MFC quarter-finals results from tonight.

Fermanagh 1-12 Cavan 1-11
Tyrone 3-16 Down 0-9
Armagh 0-12 Derry 0-11
Donegal 1-9 Monaghan 0-10

The two semi finals confirmed to take place at Healy Park, Omagh, next week.

Armagh v Donegal Fri 6th Aug, 7.30pm

Fermanagh v Tyrone Sat 7th Aug, 6pm

I know being underage it's not the same team..... but hadn't Derry a very short reign as All Ireland Champions?

[RedHand88]

Ulster MFC quarter-finals results from tonight.

Fermanagh 1-12 Cavan 1-11
Tyrone 3-16 Down 0-9
Armagh 0-12 Derry 0-11
Donegal 1-9 Monaghan 0-10

The two semi finals confirmed to take place at Healy Park, Omagh, next week.

Armagh v Donegal Fri 6th Aug, 7.30pm

Fermanagh v Tyrone Sat 7th Aug, 6pm

I know being underage it's not the same team..... but hadn't Derry a very short reign as All Ireland Champions?

Two players overlap. I'm counting it as the same team. The shortest all ireland reign in history 

[Rossfan]

Love yer neighbour and all that
Back in the early years when Championships were way behind schedule wasn't there a County won an AI on weekend and then got knocked out of the next year's Championship the following weekend?

[rrhf]

I have mixed feelings about the  senior final  and none of them good. Tyrone's fitness levels were impressive v Donegal, nippy feckers on the counterattack.  But there's always a distant hope that quality and integrity will prevail with Monaghan firing on all cylinders.

Yes who can forget that Monaghan saved football... 

[yellowcard]

This is probably both sides All Ireland final and would have been their main target at the start of the season. I find it too close to call between 2 evenly matched sides. The League encounter ended in a draw earlier in the year with the threat of a relegation on the line. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see extra time in this match either but from a neutrals perspective it would be good to see Monaghan win it.

[rrhf]

Should be a tight game alright.  Tyrone are delighted to be back in another Ulster final, delighted to have beat Donegal, and know that in Mc Manus Monaghan have an all time great in their line up. SHould be a cracking contest but I go for Tyrone on penalties.

[BennyCake]

Murphy's sending off helped Tyrone last time, but they just seem to have attacking options from a lot of positions. I don't think Monaghan have as many so unless they can score 4 goals again, it will be Tyrone who go through to get a thrashing by Kerry in the semi final

[shawshank]

I remember our club doing a open draw for tickets one time, myself Secretary and playing at the time, and the treasurer didn't get one. Hence I called it a day the following year.

Out of interest who got them, was it the U14 coach who is out three time s week coaching, the res team manager, the U8 coach or just a regular member who goes to the odd game?

[shawshank]

Going for Monaghan, Tyrone bt a D4 team, then a 14 man Donegal team (who only squeezed bye a promoted D3 team in Derry) with Murphy playing, but only in name due to his injury for 25 minutes and then won it in the final 10 minutes. Tyrone have always found Monaghan a tough nut to crack as well. Monaghan I think are better placed, steam rolled Armagh then got complacent and got caught and showed impressive ability to then win it gain against a 15 man D1 team. They also have a emotional motive to help drive them on

[nrico2006]

Going for Monaghan, Tyrone bt a D4 team, then a 14 man Donegal team (who only squeezed bye a promoted D3 team in Derry) with Murphy playing, but only in name due to his injury for 25 minutes and then won it in the final 10 minutes. Tyrone have always found Monaghan a tough nut to crack as well. Monaghan I think are better placed, steam rolled Armagh then got complacent and got caught and showed impressive ability to then win it gain against a 15 man D1 team. They also have a emotional motive to help drive them on

Tyrone have always handled Monaghan pretty well in Championship meetings, I imagine the same will be the case at the weekend.  Tyrone were also down to 14 men in the period that they pushed on.  Donegal are a proper established D1 team as well.

[trueblue1234]

Going for Monaghan, Tyrone bt a D4 team, then a 14 man Donegal team (who only squeezed bye a promoted D3 team in Derry) with Murphy playing, but only in name due to his injury for 25 minutes and then won it in the final 10 minutes. Tyrone have always found Monaghan a tough nut to crack as well. Monaghan I think are better placed, steam rolled Armagh then got complacent and got caught and showed impressive ability to then win it gain against a 15 man D1 team. They also have a emotional motive to help drive them on

🧐