by Munster Senior Hurling Championship 2023 gate receipts to top €5m
Munster GAA will shortly confirm record gate receipts in excess of €5 million for their senior hurling championship in 2023.
After a record-breaking attendance total of close to 300,000 last season, ticket revenue will be greater than the 2022 figure of €4,736,267, which was over €500,000 greater the previous normal season total of €4.206m in 2019. The inaugural Munster SHC round robin season in ’18 drew gate receipts of €4.05m.
The previous best collated attendance total for the 11-game Munster SHC was in 2019 when just over 280,000 watched the 10 round games and provincial final.
The most competitive running of the championship in the round-robin era when Limerick almost exited the championship before winning a fifth consecutive Munster title and a fourth straight All-Ireland title was a compelling factor in the higher figures.
Also, Waterford staged their home games against Limerick and Clare in Thurles’ FBD Semple Stadium, which meant more people were able to attend the fixtures. Their renovated Walsh Park will host their home matches against Cork and Tipperary in this year’s competition.
Meanwhile, Mickey Burke is set to make his 200th senior inter-county appearance for Meath in this Sunday’s Kehoe Cup first round game against Down in his native Longwood.
The 38-year-old, who made his senior championship debut for the hurlers 20 years ago and the footballers the following season, is the longest serving inter-county player currently in the game following Westmeath’s Derek McNicholas’ retirement last year.
“A 200th appearance is a good old achievement,” said manager Seoirse Bulfin. “A pretty incredible feat over 21 seasons and one that will probably not be matched.”
Burke claimed a Christy Ring Cup title with Meath in 2023. He was part of the senior football panel up to 2020 before shifting over to the hurlers.
Elsewhere, Antrim’s motion to combine the Leinster senior hurling championship with the Joe McDonagh Cup is set to be deferred to the new hurling development workgroup.
The proposal was set to be debated at next month’s Congress in February but is now expected to be discussed by the new hurling body.
Antrim had sought to split the provincial championship into two round-robin groups of five counties with the top two in each qualifying for Leinster semi-finals and the third and fourth-placed counties contesting the McDonagh Cup last four matches.
The bottom team in each group would face off to avoid being relegated to the Christy Ring Cup.