By Dara Bradley

Demand for tickets for Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final replay has exploded – the mood on the ground is that tickets are far harder to come by now than for the drawn decider three weeks ago.

Galway Hurling Board Secretary, Pat Kearney told the Connacht Sentinel that there is a “big, big interest” in the replay between Galway and Kilkenny; and that there has been a “huge demand” for tickets.

Chairperson of the Galway Hurling Supporters Club, Éamon Bradshaw, said demand for tickets for the final replay is “exceptional”.

“From what I understand, there is far greater demand this time round compared with the drawn game because ticket prices have fallen and the GAA has also issued family tickets,” said Mr Bradshaw.

Tickets for the replay have been reduced from €80 to €50 for the stand and from €40 to €25 for the terraces. Family tickets, for two adults and two children, are also being issued this time round which represent significant savings.

Mr Bradshaw says the price reduction has sent demand for tickets soaring. “It certainly has impacted on the demand for tickets and the introduction of family tickets has also increased demand,” he said.

“The support around the town and the banners and flags has been great. There was a bit of a lull in the lead up to the football final because obviously people in Galway were interested in what Mayo was doing but the hype is building again now for the hurling and the support has been far greater than in other years. We outnumbered Kilkenny by two to one in the drawn final and we hope to do that again this time round,” he said.

Membership of the supporters’ club, he said, has more than doubled since the Leinster final win over Kilkenny and increased “by the hundreds” in the lead up to the semi-final and final.

Clubs should have received their allocation of tickets last Thursday, according to the Hurling Board.

Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel