With American college athletes earning up to $7,000,000/year and professional athletes earning up to $71,000,000/year, it’s fair to question how much these individuals value the proverbial “love of the game.” However, when my buddies and I had the sport of Gaelic Football explained to us – a mix of rugby, soccer, football, handball – played by the elite athletes of Ireland, without earning a single cent for their participation and commitment, we felt compelled to see this for ourselves.
Our trip to Ireland for one of my best friend’s wedding was superb. We experienced many of the quintessential activities people often rave about after visiting the country: walking the rolling hills of Virginia County, taking historical tours of Dublin, playing poor links golf, and pulling a Guinness or two. But it was Gaelic football that captivated us most and the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship that was ongoing while we were in Dublin. Outside of the sport itself being riveting (fast, physical, highly skilled particularly with hand-foot coordination), these athletes train six days a week after their day jobs in the counties they were born and raised, purely for the love of the game and pride in their home counties. Given my description, you may think this is rather “small-time” without many fans or money to build the experience. Like us, you would be wrong. This annual tournament is hosted at Dublin’s Croke Park stadium with each game selling out the 82,300-spectator capacity. Given that extraordinarily large number, you may think it would be easy to find tickets. Again, like us, you would be wrong!
My persistent (to put it lightly) friend Zack led the charge in sourcing tickets. My understanding is that ticket distribution is done through the county clubs themselves and not through any online retailers like Ticketmaster. Because of this, your only chance to secure seats is through knowing the right locals and private groups online. Zack spent five days pleading our case in these private groups: a handful of Americans visiting Ireland for a wedding, deeply and genuinely interested in this sport and tournament. Dozens of these groups laughed at his request and kicked him out saying there is no way anyone would sell their tickets to Americans that would simply make a mockery of their beloved sport. It wasn’t until a couple hours before the beginning of the semifinal game between Mayo County and Louth County that an excess ticket-holding Irishman was willing to hear us out. After proving our genuine interest and Zack’s (an established editor and screenwriter in NYC) willingness to review and provide notes for this gentleman’s recent script – we had a deal. When coordinating online payment of €70/ticket, he explained that no payment was necessary, our vetted and legitimate interest was enough as long as we cheer for Louth as it was their first time in the semis since 1957.
The experience was everything we had hoped it would be. A fun walk to and from Croke Park, wildly entertaining action, and welcoming fans more than willing to explain the different plays, strategies, rules, history, etc. If you ever have the opportunity and have an interest in international sports, Gaelic Football is a must.
To get a better sense of the sport, you can see the match highlights here:
Check out the quick video below taken by Tom of the game in action:
