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Ulster GAA announced at lunchtime today that no tickets for the Ulster Senior Football Championship Final between Armagh and Derry would be put on general sale. Ulster GAA made the announcement in a short post on Twitter citing 'unprecedented demand' for the game which sees Armagh in their first Ulster Final since 2008 the year they beat Fermanagh in a nail-biting replay. Instead tickets have been distributed via participating counties, clubs and season ticket holders.
It leaves many seasoned Armagh fans ticketless and disappointed. Many supporters called for the game to be played at Croke Park considering the popularity of the pairing and the fact that Clones holds less than 40,000. In the ten years from 1999 to 2008 it really was Armagh's golden era with Ulster Final appearances and wins in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008. In fact such was the popularity of Armagh that Croke Park was called into service for the games in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
The Ulster Final involving Armagh and Donegal was held there in 2004 as was the 2005 Armagh and Tyrone final and final replay and the 2006 Armagh and Donegal final. The last time an Ulster Final was held in Croke Park was 2021.
Armagh ladies open the proceedings next Sunday as they take on Cavan in the Ulster Ladies Senior Football Championship clash at 1.45pm with the Ulster Football Final following at 4pm.
(Unfortunately Newry.ie editor Columba O'Hare can no longer access games as a member of the press as the GAA now only issue passes to "written media and radio" and Newry.ie is neither of these. Having promoted games country wide for nearly 40 years it is certainly something that we miss very much)
