An additional 4,500 tickets are to be made available for Sunday’s GAA Munster hurling final between Cork and Limerick in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

The match is scheduled to be the last inter-county fixture before the ground is demolished in six months and redeveloped.

A statement from the provincial council explained that the extra capacity had been agreed with health and safety authorities after the completion of some ground improvements and match-day security protocols.

Security concerns

Last week’s Munster football final had a capacity of 32,138 and the council statement also addressed the engagement of a Frontline, the professional event security company, for the two scheduled finals, last weekend and this one.

“The professional security firm was engaged on foot of a recommendation by the GAA’s Health and Safety advisers,” according to the Munster Council, “and was geared towards ensuring that the safe capacity could be increased for next Sunday’s hurling finals”.

Health and safety

The council also revealed that “discussions have been on-going since mid-June between the Munster Council, the Cork County Board and the GAA’s health and safety advisers regarding the safe capacity at Páirc Uí Chaoimh for the Munster football and hurling finals.

Following a site visit to Páirc Uí Chaoimh on June 18th, a report was drawn up by health and safety advisers “outlining a series of necessary works required for health and safety reasons, including the installation of temporary concourse areas and temporary stiles”.

The report added that “in addition to normal complement of voluntary stewards, a professional security firm with competence and experience in crowd management at GAA stadia is to be appointed to provide sufficient complement of personnel to manage: crowd flows in each of the tunnels and to and from the outer temporary concourse areas; [and] filling of the terraces and crowd movement on the terraces during the event.”