Sunday will see the largest attendance at a GAA stadium in almost three years as the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals take place at Croke Park.
As many as 75,000 will ascend on GAA headquarters as Armagh take on Galway before Kerry and Mayo meet in a repeat of the 2004 and 2006 deciders.
Last year’s All-Ireland finals were limited in their capacity due the restrictions imposed on attending events.
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In total, 125,00 people will travel to Croke Park this weekend as the championship season edges closer to its conclusion.
That could see the GAA bring in as much as €4 million across Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s gone like a rocket, they’re running out of seats for Sunday,” Alan Milton, the GAA’s director of communications, said. “They’re not predicting a sell-out but they think it will be the biggest attendance since the 2019 All-Ireland final.
“The quarter-final pairings involving Dublin would normally be the stronger one because of their population base and they’re in the capital but it’s nearly a role reversal.
“We could have 125,000 people in Croke Park this weekend which is not an insignificant figure in global sport, never mind Irish sport.”
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Around 55,000 supporters will be in attendance for Saturday’s double-header featuring the surprise clash of Ulster champions Derry and Clare, while Dublin will take on Cork.
Milton was buoyant when asked about the resumption of normality following an extended restrictive period.
“It’s hugely encouraging that people are making a choice to come to our games and the fact that they’re outdoors is a huge factor too,” he said.
“It’s great because it took two years for everyone, not just the GAA. During Covid it was hard for everyone and people that came to Croke Park pined for those days again. It’s great that they appear to be back and hopefully they’re here to stay.”
