Uachtarán expects bumper Club finals crowd

Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Christy Cooney is hoping for a bumper attendance for the AIB GAA All-Ireland Senior Club Championship finals at Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day.

The traditional climax to the Club season in both hurling and football has become one of the highlights of the GAA calendar in recent years, and the Uachtrán is looking forward to the first finals day of his Presidency.

“I’m hoping for a tremendous crowd,” said Mr Cooney, who was speaking to the GAA’s official website, GAA.ie.

“I think we'll get a big crowd on the day if we get reasonably good weather. I think it’s going to be sensational, I’m really looking forward to them.”

Mr Cooney said he was particularly thrilled that all four provinces will be represented on finals day this year with Kilmurry Ibrickane (Munster) and St Gall’s (Ulster) doing battle in the football, and Ballyhale Shamrocks (Leinster) and Portumna (Connacht) facing off in the hurling decider in a repeat of last year’s semi-final.

“The two finals are going to be awesome,” he added. “We have four provinces represented and hurling final is the one everyone would have been looking for.

“But everybody will be looking forward to this game because Ballyhale are a phenomenal team and they are looking for revenge against Portumna.

“Then you have Kilmurry-Ibrickane and St Gall’s in the football. Who would have thought that they would have been in the final this year?

“I think they will be two spectacular finals, very evenly contested, and they could go either way, so I am hoping for a tremendous crowd.”

Mr Cooney said that the AIB Club finals are a showcase for the most important units in the GAA, adding that winning an All-Ireland Club title is amongst the most prized medals on offer in Gaelic Games.

“I think it gives us a new status. Everyone worried about the Railway Cups when they were gone, what was going to happen,” he said.

“Now we have Club finals that in time, I believe, we’ll get 50,000 people here in Croke Park.

“This is what it’s about. Our Association is about fundamentally our Clubs, so for any club player to win an All-Ireland with their own is something extra special.”