No more steps to climb

The GAA has announced that future trophy presentations at Croke Park will - weather permitting - take place on a podium in the middle of the field. The idea, familiar from European soccer finals, has been initiated because of this year's more stringent safety regulations which have prohibited supporters from coming onto the pitch at the end of a match.

This will be a major departure from the tradition of trophies being presented to winning captains on the Hogan Stand steps leading up to the Ard Comhairle section.

Already this season has seen restrictions imposed on crowds wishing to gain access to the pitch. Under advice from the Gardai, the Fire Brigade, Dublin Corporation and the Eastern Health Board, the GAA decided to ban encroachment on the pitch after matches.

For the first few afternoons after this came into force, a substantial Garda presence was in evidence in order to discourage anyone thinking of clambering over the fence in traditional fashion.

Yesterday's statement from Croke Park thanked the public for their co-operation to date and looked forward to the day when "every game can be enjoyed without recourse to fencing and other obstacles". It also re-iterated its desire to make "the Croke Park experience enjoyable and safe".

The international television audience for Sunday's All-Ireland hurling final is expected to reach record levels with coverage being transmitted in 40 countries worldwide and an estimated viewing figure of one million people. For the first time, that may exceed the domestic GAA audience.

Overseas coverage will be provided by Setanta Sport through their closed-circuit television operation to pubs, clubs, network carriers and private subscribers on four continents. The broadcast will also be available via the internet.

Live transmissions will be beamed to 14 European countries from Sweden to Spain. Sites across North America and Australia, as well as numerous countries in the Middle East and Asia will also receive the pictures making it unlikely that any Irish pub anywhere in the world will be left out.

The internet broadcast will be served by the Internet Broadcasting Company at the following address: http:// www.broadcastco.net

Estimated viewing figures of RTE's live coverage of the All-Ireland hurling finals of the last five years are as follows: 1994 - 506,000; 1995 - 580,000; 1996 - 577,000; 1997 - 428,000; 1998 - 438,000.