MORE supporters attended the recent Carbery U21 football finals compared to the same games in 2024.
Gate receipts from the three divisional U21 football deciders – across the A, B and C grades – played last month showed a jump of 34 percent from 2024 to ’25, though the exact figure is unknown because there was no gate taken at the 2024 U21C final after it was switched to Rossmore due to weather conditions.
Still, it’s safe to assume that even if last season’s U21C football final had gate receipts, there still would have been a significant jump to the 2025 figures.
It’s believed that the timing of these games is the main reason why more fans attended the finals this season compared to 2024.
Because of bad weather, the final stages of this year’s U21 football championships were moved to the summer. So, across the same August weekend, Ibane Gaels beat Bantry Blues in the showpiece A final, St Colum’s defeated Ahán Gaels in the B decider, and Ilen Rovers got the better of Clann na nGael in the U21C final.
Look at the 2024 Carbery U21 finals, Bantry beat Ibane in the A final on February 18th, O’Donovan Rossa defeated Tadhg MacCarthaigh in the B decider on the same day, while the previous day Kilmeen beat Kilbrittain in the C final.
There was wholly positive feedback to playing the U21 finals in better weather and better pitches in August, compared to the shoehorning into three weeks in wintery February, and improved gate receipts highlight this. Food for thought, perhaps?
