Mullingar is bracing itself for its busiest Saturday in years when a capacity crowd descends on Cusack Park for the Round One clash of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship between Westmeath and Cavan.
While Cusack Park will be full after all tickets sold out within minutes last Tuesday, it is anticipated that hospitality outlets showing the match will also be packed out, as 24 years on from the first and last time Westmeath was holder of the Leinster Championship title, the county prays for progress towards the final reaches of the competition.
Just under 11,000 tickets were released for the match – which includes ticket allocations for players and officials – meaning the number of fans able to watch live is considerably lower than was the case for the Leinster final, for which the official attendance was 36,536, of which an estimated 20,000-plus fans were from Westmeath.
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Former government minister, retired TD Willie Penrose, said it would be fantastic if a big screen could be erected at a town centre location for fans without tickets, in acknowledgement of the enormous interest in the game.
“There are far more people who want to go than Cusack Park can hold,” he said. “You’re talking about maybe 20,000 or 25,000 Westmeath supporters. A lot of ordinary GAA people simply won’t get tickets.”
He suggested that GAA authorities and local officials should seriously examine the possibility of organising a large outdoor screening to allow fans gather together and share in the occasion.
“It’s about giving people an opportunity to be part of it,” he said. “Young people especially have really connected with this team. You saw the crowds at the open training session on Sunday, families, children, getting photos with the cup, jerseys and flags everywhere. There’s a huge buzz.”
Possible venues mentioned included Blackhall, where previous large public events were held, or another open-air location such as the town park.
“With weather like this it would be ideal,” he said. “Other counties and sports have done similar things before. Limerick and Munster rugby organised screenings when demand was too big. Concert promoters sometimes add another date, but with a match, you only get one chance.”
He stressed that any event would need careful planning around safety and crowd management, but said the infrastructure already exists locally to make it happen quickly.
“The GAA and local authorities would have to liaise, obviously, but there are people experienced in this type of work,” he said. “The technical side of it could be organised very fast.”
Mr Penrose also criticised the growing reliance on online ticketing systems, saying many older supporters or families without strong digital skills were being left behind.
“There are loads of people who don’t understand the technology or are afraid of it,” he said. “They might be waiting for a son or daughter to help them, and by then the tickets are gone.”
Westmeath GAA chairman Paddy Wallace said that while erection of a big screen was a nice idea, it would be outside both the GAA’s remit and capacity. “We wouldn’t have the manpower for that,” he added, pointing out that they will have all hands on deck at Cusack Park for the match.
Mr Wallace said that there would be private companies that might have the capacity to organise such an event, and to undertake the practicalities of having a screen erected but that there would have to be policing in place as well. “Certainly it’s a great idea, but we don’t have the capacity,” he said.