Leinster GAA hopeful rule changes can halt decline

Leinster GAA says it's hopeful that rule changes in Gaelic football can arrest the continuing slide in interest in the inter-county game in the province.

Last year's Leinster football final between Louth and Dublin attracted a crowd of 23,113, which was the lowest crowd in the modern era, falling well short of the next lowest figure, the 28,157 who showed up to the 1991 decider between Meath and Laois.

In the heyday of the championship in the first decade of this century, the Leinster football final regularly topped 60,000 punters, with over 80,000 going through the turnstiles at the Jones' Road venue between 2005 and 2008.

While those figures might have been unusually high in the fullness of history of the Leinster Championship, the current crowds are low enough that calls for the game to be taken to other venues in the province no longer seem contrarian.

"We would certainly be expecting upwards of 40,000," was GAA spokesperson's Alan Milton's view, speaking to The Irish Times, ahead of the 2010 decider between Meath and Louth.

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That game is noteworthy as the only final not to feature the Dubs in the last 20 years, but now, 15 years later, the fixture is only attracting a crowd of barely half that amount, even with the Metropolitans involved on an annual basis.

The lessening of importance of the competition in relation to the All-Ireland Championships, combined with a dominant period for Dublin alongside a failure of the traditional provincial challengers to perform inside or outside of the competition, has seen interest waning over the last 15 years.

And this has been acknowledged by Leinster GAA in their Secretary's Report for 2024, released ahead of the 2025 Convention, which is to be held in Portlaoise on 18 January.

"We've had plenty of great games this year, from juvenile right up to inter-county, but we can’t ignore the drop in attendances at inter-county matches," Michael Reynolds wrote in his report.

Persistent discussions around the future of all the provincial football championships, and whether they might be either moved earlier in the year, or scrapped all together do little to create momentum in the competitions.

And the acknowledgement of the fall in interest from Leinster GAA comes amid concern over attendances at games, with the Munster Hurling Championship being the exception in that regard.

It begs the question, how much further has the Leinster Championship to fall before things level off?

Well, the retirements of Dublin midfield duo James McCarthy and Brian Fenton have led to whispers in some quarters that the 2025 Leinster Championship might not be a foregone conclusion.

And Leinster GAA is hopeful that the new rules to be introduced later this month with the start of the Allianz League, which Tyrone All-Ireland winner Peter Canavan told RTÉ Sport recently should lead to more goals in games, can add to the potential novelty factor of the 2025 edition of the provincial football championship.

More: Landslide votes at Special Congress mean Gaelic football to have raft of new rules in 2025

Reynolds was full of praise for the Football Review Committee, led by former Dublin manager Jim Gavin, with the changes having been trialled with the return of the Railway Cup in October.

"They put in the hard yards, with widespread consultation, top-notch presentations, and plenty of trial games to fine-tune their ideas. The changes they've introduced are a big step forward.

"One positive outcome from the special Congress is that Central Council now has the authority to tweak things if needed, based on advice from the Standing Committee on Rules and the Rules Advisory Committee. This flexibility will be key as we settle into the new system.

"Looking ahead, it's important that we approach these changes with a positive mindset. They’re aimed at making Gaelic football more exciting and attractive, both for players and fans. Let’s all get behind them and work together to ensure our games continue to thrive and draw the crowds they deserve."

What those crowds might be remains to be seen but one things for sure, Leinster GAA can't afford to see a further fall in attendances in 2025.

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