Profits and problems: the cash cow hurling championship, population explosions and drains, weaker counties and football's future

Like Sunday, as I said, was another seasonal high, sold-out Munster final, plenty of drama, nice bit of controversy, and probably most importantly of all, from your point of view, commanding the attention of the Irish sporting public for at least three hours last Sunday afternoon.

I mean, I don't know whether you saw the pictures, whether it was Cuibhain Kelleher, Conor Bradley, sports stars from other codes clamouring to be there for the revered august, almost, Munster hurling final experience.

But as you'll tell me, Tim, that's the climax and the culmination of a lot of work from a lot of people.

And it shows Munster and the GAA's best side.

But is everything rosy in the garden? Maybe it is.

So what I wanted to just ask you, let's just start with the cold black soul of any organisation, money.

I presume it is on target for a record-breaking year of revenue from attendances from the Munster Championships.

Yes, Tony, that's a fair thing to say.

I think, I suppose, over the last number of years, the hurling has obviously eclipsed the Football Championship.

This year, again, we're more or less on target with hurling attendances.

I think we passed the 2 million mark in terms of attendances a few weeks ago.

I think it was the 2 millionth person attending since 2018, if I'm not mistaken.

which is which is a phenomenal achievement for for the province and I suppose it underpins the status of hurling in Munster it underpins the competitiveness of hurling in Munster and it obviously for us it shows that when you have a jeopardy and you have a championship scenario people come out in their droves That's certainly the case from a hurling perspective.

From a football perspective, this year, thankfully, has been a better year than we've had for quite a number of years, simply because of the Munster football final, which was held in Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney, between Cork and Kerry.

I'd say we're probably up in the region of €350,000, I'd say, relative to previous years.

€33,000, I think,

at the final.

€33,000 at the final, just shy of it as well.

Not only was it a great occasion as much as a game of football and the whole, I think it has a kind of a cultural significance as well, no different to the Hurling Championship.

That certainly enhanced the coffers of Munster again, which I suppose allows us as a council to repatriate that money back down to counties and clubs.

Yeah, well, as Jed Bartlett used to say in the West Wing, Tim, give me numbers.

Yeah, I suppose, Tony, roughly we're talking about we'll be in north of £9 million in revenue from our games this year.

Now, that's obviously primarily... derived from the hurling championship.

But football is up as well.

And I suppose that's the key thing for us.