Killarney

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A survey carried out by the Killarney Advertiser has revealed that a significant portion of Kerry fans will not be attending next weekend’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Mayo as travelling to Dublin is “too expensive”.



The majority of supporters who responded to the survey and said that they would not be going to the game cited financial reasons.



“The cost of fuel if I drive or the train [is too much],” one reader said. “The late throw-in means a hotel which is the price of my mortgage.”



Hotel prices in Dublin have extremely been high of late; the Kerry hurlers were forced to travel up and down the same day when they were unable to secure affordable accommodation for their recent Joe McDonagh Cup final in the capital.



As for followers of the football team, 86% of people who are going to the Mayo game said they would not be staying in Dublin overnight.



The timing of the match itself – 4pm on a Sunday – is also a deterrent according to those who won&#8217;t be attending. “The game is on too late on Sunday,” one person claimed. “If it was Saturday evening then I definitely would have gone.”



One third of fans travelling alone say they expect to spend between €100 and €150 on the trip to Dublin, while 22% are expecting to spend less (€50-100). Others anticipate spending much more, however: 22% say the trip will come to somewhere between €151-200 and 13% believe they will part with €200-300 to attend the match. These estimates do not include any money spent on alcohol.



Naturally, those travelling with children expect to spend even more. 30% of adults heading to the match with at least one child say it will cost €100-200 and roughly a quarter plan on spending up to €300. Around one in ten fans in this category anticipate shelling out as much as €500-600.



When the Kingdom drew Mayo in the last eight, some locals were hopeful that the GAA would stage the game in nearby Limerick, possibly as a double-header with a minor match that features the same two counties. Instead, the senior match was fixed for Croke Park on Sunday next (June 26) with Galway v Armagh taking place at the same venue at 1.45pm.



When asked if they agree with the GAA’s practice of playing every All-Ireland SFC quarter-final at HQ, 80% of Kerry supporters said that they did not.



Despite the concerns expressed in our survey, the GAA announced on Tuesday that they had already sold 35,000 tickets (at a cost of €40 for the stand and €30 for the terrace) for next Sunday’s games. It is not known how many of those tickets were snapped up by Kerry fans.



Armagh – considered All-Ireland contenders for the first time in a number of years &#8211; are expected to be well represented at the famous Jones’ Road ground. Mayo’s fanatical supporters are also likely to travel in good numbers.



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SURVEY: Costly Dublin trip turning Kerry fans off Mayo game

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