Fans' anger as All-Ireland replay is made to wait for racing to finish on RTÉ

Waiting game: Kerry fans like Suzanne and Michael Curran and daughters, Saoirse (13) and Síun (8) face a long day due to Saturday's late start. Photo: Damien Eagers / INM

Mícheál Ó Scannáil Twitter Email

September 12 2019 02:30 AM

The GAA has confirmed Saturday's match was fixed for 6pm to accommodate broadcast schedules, with greyhound racing and horse racing taking place on the same day.

After last week's thrilling encounter between the five-in-a-row chasing Dubs and Kerry, Saturday's replay was fixed for 6pm at Croke Park.

However, many supporters are furious by the decision to play the All-Ireland football final replay so late in the evening. Many Kerry fans will face a drive of up to five hours.

GAA director of communications Alan Milton confirmed the reason the final could not be played earlier was to suit RTÉ's broadcasting of the semi-finals of the Greyhound Derby and the Irish Champions Weekend in horse racing.

He said, however, the match would have been played on a Saturday evening regardless of RTÉ's other broadcasts.

"Following the success of the 2013 hurling final replay involving Clare and Cork, the GAA's Central Council took the decision to play all future final replays on Saturday evenings to avoid the need to move either the camogie final or the ladies' football final out of their planned slots at Croke Park to accommodate the replay," he said.

"Pushing the final back a further eight days to ensure a traditional Sunday afternoon slot would have caused further inconvenience and a longer delay to both the Dublin and Kerry club championships."

RTÉ told the Irish Independent the schedule had been lined up before the replay was announced and 6pm was the throw-in time best suited for televising while allowing the other scheduled sporting events to be shown live.

"Horse Racing Ireland moved the start time of the feature race at Leopardstown, the Champion Stakes, from 6.35pm to 4.15pm and racing coverage will begin at the earlier time of 3pm on RTÉ One," a spokesman said.

Many supporters from the Kingdom told the Irish Independent some of them will get home around 4am.

Teddy McCarthy from Sneem will have a five-hour drive after he leaves Croke Park.

"You have to look at the road safety issue as well putting all these people out on the road so late on a Saturday night," he said.

Padraig Fogarty, from Filemore, Cahirciveen, West Kerry, will have a commute on Saturday with his son Aidan (10) which will take more than four hours. He admitted he would stay in Dublin if hotels were cheaper.

"I'm leaving Saturday morning at 11am and I presume I won't be home before 3am," he said. "That game should be on at 2pm. I mean the Dubs can stroll out of bed at 3pm and walk into Croke Park and they'll be home for eight."

Cllr Johnny Healy-Rae said the GAA told him the timing was because of programming clashes.