Clubs offered seated tickets
Late intervention by Board
THE WEXFORD G.A.A. ticket fiasco continued until the final hours in the lead-up to the provincial semi-final clash with Kilkenny at Innovate Wexford Park.
The decision not to initially allocate tickets to the clubs caused a huge furore between the association’s membership and the County Board officers, with many people left without a coveted match ticket for a seated area.
However, in an effort to alleviate the problem, there was a sprinkling of seated tickets distributed all week. And County Board officers eventually made contact with club officers on the morning (Friday) before the game to announce there was an allocation of six seated tickets available for each club.
While clearly frustrated and flabbergasted with such a late intervention, clubs availed of the tickets in an effort to appease some disappointed members, but it also raised many question marks over the ticket distribution system adopted by the County Board as complaints flooded the system all week.
Clubs are now anxious for an explanation as to why they were totally ignored in the original ticket allocation. They also want to know how tickets became available at such a late hour, with the queue on the previous Wednesday week having been informed that all seated tickets had been sold.
Despite this late availability of tickets, one could not but notice that the final section of seating on the terrace side at the Pineridge end was practically empty, while there was also available seating at the Corish Park end of the stand.
Meanwhile, tribute must be paid to the gardaí for the way they coped with the traffic on what was one of the biggest sporting occasions in the county for many years.
Close to two hundred people attended the Club Wexford luncheon in the Talbot Hotel prior to the game, after which they were ferried by bus to Innovate Wexford Park.
Tables of ten at €100 per head filled the luncheon room, with many taking up the offer to avail of a ticket for the game, particularly when it was learned that all seating tickets had been sold out early on. However, this left some people disgruntled when tickets then became available 24 hours before the game.
Adding further to the discomfort of those attending was the placing of donation envelopes for each patron on the table, to be filled in and signed, placing them in a draw for a clock.
Having already donated €100 for the privilege of attending, some patrons were annoyed that they were asked to enter further donation into a sealed envelope for a draw.
Then again, they had the privilege of being ferried to the ground, with a seat in the centre section of the covered stand to enjoy the splendours of Innovate Wexford Park and an eventual victory over Kilkenny.