GAA cancel tickets being resold above face value

Fans can resort to desperate measures to get tickets

The GAA have cancelled tickets that were being resold at above face value online for the hotly anticipated All-Ireland SFC semi-final between Dublin and Tyrone on 27 August.

Reports started to emerge that tickets, which cost €45 for a seat and €30 standing, were changing hands way above face value on the internet.

The Seatwave website is offering individual tickets for as much as £132, or €145, apiece - that’s more than three times their original selling price.

This led Croke Park to act and a number of tickets have been cancelled, meaning that they won’t gain the holder entry on match day as the unique barcode won’t scan.

Long-term and premium level ticket holders who are found to have resold their tickets at more than the official asking price will have their tickets cancelled and won’t be allowed to purchase them again in future.

This is part of a crackdown by the GAA, who are keen to stop their tickets appearing on the black market and fans being charged way over the odds to watch matches.

"We were made aware of tickets being resold above face value," said a Croke Park spokesperson when contacted by RTÉ Sport. "If we can identify the tickets in question, we cancel them."

Of course, this means that there is a danger that someone can buy a ticket at above face value in good faith and not be allowed entry to Croke Park for the big match. This is why the GAA encourage people to buy their tickets through official sources only.

"We would welcome a wider conversation on this issue," continued the source. "We would like to discuss ways in which we can stop this happening because at the moment we are limited in what we can do."

The Dublin-Tyrone game is heading towards an 82,300 Croke Park sellout and demand for tickets in both counties, and in the rest of the country, is high.

Meanwhile, the GAA has confirmed that stand tickets for Sunday’s second All-Ireland SHC semi-final between Cork and Waterford are likely to sell out. They remain on sale through the Association’s website and other outlets, though they are going fast.

The winner will face Galway, who beat Tipperary on Sunday, in the All-Ireland final on Sunday 3 September with the Liam MacCarthy Cup at stake.