Club final ties to be all-ticket affair

Club finals: In an attempt to avoid the confusion that occurred outside Croke Park before and during last year's All-Ireland club finals, the GAA have announced this St Patrick's Day programme will be an all-ticket affair.

Last year, with four relatively small parishes involved, the GAA expected a crowd of 20,000. However, 38,500 turned up to find not enough turnstiles were open. To avoid any accidents, stewards belatedly opened gates allowing free passage into the grounds. The GAA apologised afterwards.

"Hopefully, we will not have a repeat with the crowd going out and going in as I think we will have the same turnout," said GAA president Seán Kelly yesterday. "I think it has grown and has an attraction of its own. On St Patrick's Day people seem to like to come to Croke Park and each year it's novel, rarely are the same teams back again even if this year three of them have been here before."

Kelly pointed to the larger population density of the regions travelling this year - Ballina, Portlaoise, Athenry and James Stephens - compared to the smaller parishes of Newtownshandrum, An Ghaeltacht, Caltra and Dunloy in 2004. "They are coming from much bigger population bases than last year, so, taking all that into account, we certainly have to plan for the same crowd as last year."

Kelly will announce a new director of hurling in the coming fortnight. The position, which will be advertised to the public, will not necessarily go to someone on the Hurling Development Committee (HDC), but they will be entitled to apply for the job. "In particular, I am most grateful to them because it was a bit of a gamble for me to change what was normally the structure of the HDC, which was usually officials, to basically ex-managers and great players - put them in at the deep end."

On the recommendation of the HDC this year's championship has been completely revamped and with a more even spread of matches Kelly hopes it will improve the standard of hurling below the highest tier of the game.

Kelly was speaking at the AIB provincial player of the year awards for 2004, in which a member of each of the club finalists was honoured. In football, Portlaoise captain Colm Parkinson won the Leinster award, but he refused to comment on reports that he intends to quit the intercounty scene and depart for Australia immediately after March 17th.

Ballina's Enda Devenney won the Connacht honour, but was unable to attend the function after damaging his ankle playing for the Mayo under-21s against Dublin under-21s over the weekend. As a result, the young wing back - Ballina's player of the championship thus far - will miss the final. The Munster football winner was Johnny Daly of Kilmurry-Ibrickane, while Crossmaglen Rangers' rising star Johnny Murtagh won the Ulster prize.

Athenry stalwart Pat Rabbitte took the hurling in Connacht for a second time, with his opponent from James Stephens, Eoin Larkin, the Leinster recipient. In Munster, Ken McGrath also picked up a second provincial award - and he confirmed he will be back for Waterford's championship opener against Cork. O'Donovan Rossa midfielder Jim Connolly took the Ulster hurling honour.

Meanwhile, the GAA museum at Croke Park will host a weekend of special events for all ages on March 12th-13th. Internationally renowned storyteller Pat Speight and hurley-maker John Torpey will be there and visitors to the museum will be able to witness a hurley being fashioned from a piece of ash. The museum will open from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, March 12th, and from noon to 5pm on Sunday, March 13th.