Allocation of Tickets to the All-Ireland Hurling and Football Championships
Club Policy
1. Backgound
Each year, there is great demand for tickets to the All-Ireland series, both hurling and football. In most cases, the club allocation for all rounds except the finals is sufficient to fulfil the demand from club members. However, it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that a semi-final pairing or a Munster final pairing would generate enough demand such that the club allocation was insufficient to satisfy the requests from members. At any rate, when it comes to All-Ireland finals themselves, the club allocation will never be enough to satisfy the demand.
For any match where the club allocation is less than the demand from members, the club attempts to allocate them in the fairest way possible. However, there are differing views amongst members as to what the “fairest” way is. Some of the most contentious issues are:
- The club would like to give every member an equal opportunity but this often competes with the desire to reward club officers and other senior members of the club for their hard work – often over many years.
- Some members feel that it is unfair that the same opportunity is awarded to juvenile members as to adult members.
- Some members feel that tickets should only be given to members for their own use.
- Some members feel that any member that receives a ticket should give an undertaking that the ticket will only be used by club members.
A difficulty arises because the club’s policy on the above and other points is not documented anywhere and ambiguity exists on the club’s position.
The purpose of this document is to lay down the club’s position.
2. Scope
This document covers any GAA match where:
- The club receives an allocation from Cumann Luthcheas Gael (CLG) ChorCaí or the division of CLG to which the club is affiliated.
- That allocation is less than the number of tickets requested by members
In those circumstances, and only in those circumstances, the club will allocate tickets as per the process outlined below.
3. Requests of interest
Before the club requests its allocation, the club secretary will communicate by email and text to the membership and collate the member requests of interest in tickets.
4. Allocation of tickets
Where the number of tickets requested by the membership is greater than the amount of tickets requested, the club will allocate the tickets in two ways:
- Discretionary assignment of a limited number of tickets
- Membership draw
Whether the ticket is received by discretionary assignment or through the Open club draw, the recipient must repay the club the full cost of the ticket.
5. Discretionary assignment of a limited number of tickets
The club needs the ability to earmark a certain number of tickets. The reasons for this can vary from year to year but may include:
- Reward for lifetime long service to the club
- Reward for serving as an officer of the club
- Reward for an outstanding contribution to the club in the current season.
This list is not exhaustive but it is clear that it is subjective. For this reason, it is proposed that the Executive (Adult Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer) are vested with the decision as to the destination of the discretionary tickets.
It is proposed that the number of discretionary tickets would vary depending on the total number of tickets allocated to the club as per the table below:
| Total Tickets Allocated to the Club | Number of Discretionary tickets |
|---|---|
| 4 | 2 |
| 5 | 2 |
| 6 | 3 |
| 7 | 3 |
| 8 | 4 |
| 9 | 4 |
| 10 | 5 |
| 11 | 5 |
| 12 & Over | 6 |
In any case, the number of discretionary tickets will NOT EXCEED 6. Any unused discretionary tickets would be re-entered into the club draw.
6. Membership Draw
A Membership draw will take place for the tickets remaining after the discretionary tickets have been assigned. The draw will have the following rules:
- Only those memberships that requested tickets before the club requested its allocation (Section 3 above) will be considered for the draw.
- There will be 1 entry into the draw for each club membership with an annual contribution to the club lotto. The annual subscription to the club lotto must have been pre-existing before the start of the inter-county championship.
- Each membership will receive a maximum of 1 ticket until all memberships in the draw receive 1 ticket or the club allocation has been exhausted.
- If each membership in the draw has received 1 ticket and there are still tickets in the club allocation that are unused, then all memberships that requested more than 1 ticket will be re-entered in the draw and the draw will continue until the club allocation has been exhausted.
7. Transfer of club tickets
Once a member has paid for the ticket, that ticket now belongs to them. The club has no jurisdiction or control over what the member does with that ticket.