Munster Council chairman Sean Walsh has called on Croke Park to take 'urgent' action in a bid to tackle declining attendances at inter-county championship matches.

And the Kerry native believes cheaper ticket prices and a reduction in live TV games could help to bring the crowds back.

He said in the Irish Examiner: "We must as a matter of urgency examine the reasons for the decline in numbers attending our senior championship games.

"Even though, in our opinion, the games continue to provide a great sporting atmosphere and their entertainment value is as high as ever, this fall-off in attendances is a cause for concern.

"This year and for the past number of years we have engaged in a concerted marketing effort of our major games. I believe that but for these initiatives, the fall-off in attendances would have been greater.

"In this severe economic downturn we must take into consideration that many of our genuine supporters and patrons are experiencing financial difficulties and cannot afford the cost of attending our games as frequently as they did in the past.

"They no longer have the disposable income, despite our promotion of concession season tickets and concession tickets for families, students and old age pensioners."

He continued: "There has to be an assessment of the promotional value of having such a big number of live TV games and balance that with the possibility that this number of live TV games is affecting attendances.

"These questions and many more need to be addressed in the immediate future. We want our championship games to be accessible to everybody who wants to attend them.

"With that in mind we will reassess every aspect of the marketing of our games, including the games scheduling and match times as well as the general admission and concession prices. I can assure all supporters that we will do everything possible to make next year's inter-county championship games more accessible to them." Tweet

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