Dublin to get the lion's share

All-Ireland football qualifiers: Dublin can expect to get the lion's share of the ticket allocation for the All-Ireland football qualifier against Derry on Saturday week.

The GAA announced yesterday admission to the game, which has a 4.15 p.m. throw-in, would be by ticket only, with initial allocations distributed to the county boards early next week.

Tickets will also be available through the GAA website (www.gaa.ie) from next Monday, but the indications yesterday were the capacity at Clones of just over 35,000 would meet all the demands.

Though interest is high in Derry, the amount of supporters travelling to the game is not expected to even come close to the county's full allocation, which under normal circumstances would be roughly half the overall capacity.

"I would be amazed if we moved more than 6,000 tickets before the game," said Derry County Board PRO Gerry Donnelly. "The fact that we are playing Dublin makes it a very attractive game, but unless Dublin bring out 25,000 I don't think getting into the ground is going to be a problem.

"The fact that the game is also being shown on TV will also play a role, because some people will always take that option. So the way we see it there will be plenty of room for everyone in Clones."

Dublin secretary John Costello added that Dublin were likely to end up with more than half of the venue's capacity on the basis of their greater attendance record in recent years.

"I think we have proven over the last few years that Dublin supporters and families of Dublin supporters are willing to travel when the county are playing," he said. "Based on that level of support we expect to get the higher share of tickets for the game."

It has also been confirmed adult stand tickets for the game are priced at €15, with a terrace admission of €12. Costello also said the Dublin County Board did not attempt to influence the GAA's Games Administration Committee when it came to fixing the game for Saturday week.

Derry reacted angrily to the decision to fix the game for a fortnight after Dublin's defeat to Laois on Sunday, rather than the week after, as scheduled, but Costello explained a combination of factors went into the GAC decision, and there had been no request from Dublin for a two-week break.

"We did not try to influence the GAC in any way," said Costello. "When Saturday was suggested to us we just pointed out that a lot of people from Dublin clubs have volunteered for the Special Olympics opening ceremony that evening.

"But the decision when and where to play the game was always a decision for the GAC, and we were going to accept it either way."

It had also been suggested on Monday that one of the reasons the GAC didn't want to play the game this Saturday was because the Derry hurlers were also in action in their qualifier against Kerry. Yesterday, however, the GAC announced the hurling game had been switched to Sunday, without offering any explanation why.

It was also decided only one of Saturday's All-Ireland football qualifiers, the game between Leitrim and Roscommon in Carrick-on-Shannon, would be all-ticket. Tickets are available from the respective county boards or from the Connacht Council offices in Ballyhaunis and can be purchased by credit card by phone at 094 9630335.

The Gerry Arthurs stand in Clones will also be all-ticket for the Saturday evening clash of Monaghan and Meath (tickets available through the county boards), but entry to the rest of the ground will be by cash at the turnstiles. Entry to all of the other qualifiers this weekend will be by cash only.

Meanwhile, the Connacht Council has confirmed the football final between Galway and Mayo on July 6th will be played at Pearse Stadium, Galway, but with an earlier than normal throw-in time of 2 p.m.

Doubts had surrounded the availability of the venue as it clashed with the air show in the Salthill area on the same afternoon. The Gardaí were consulted, and it was agreed the game would start earlier, and the air show start be put back to 3.30.

Galway were entitled to home advantage for the game, thus ruling out McHale Park in Castlebar as an alternative venue, and leaving Tuam Stadium as the only other option. But it was decided every effort should be made to hold the game at Pearse Stadium, which earlier this year was re-opened after extensive redevelopment work.

The Munster football final between Kerry and Limerick, which takes place a week later, on July 13th, has also been confirmed for Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney.

Finally, the Sarsfields club in Kildare have planned an unusual fund-raising effort for Saturday. All 450 club members will take part in a Gaelic games marathon, with footballers, hurlers and camogie players participating in all-day blitz games (from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.).