Spillane labels jubilee team presentation slot an 'insult'
August 20, 2025
Pat Spillane watches the Tailteann Cup final at Croke Park ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
Pat Spillane has taken issue with the time slot for the jubilee team presentation on All-Ireland final day.
Previously held at half-time, the winning All-Ireland team from 25 years ago is now presented to the crowd almost an hour before the game when Croke Park is still half-empty.
"Having the presentation of the jubilee team in front of a couple of thousand people is an embarrassment and an insult," Spillane wrote in his Sunday World column.
The Kerry legend also criticised the GAA for their pre-match entertainment, and feels they could learn a thing or two from the upcoming NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings in that regard.
“America’s NFL will be here in a couple of months. They’re going to take over Dublin for the week. They’re going to have street parties. They’re going to have fan zones. They’re going to have marching bands. They’re going to have a festival of American football in Dublin for the week," he wrote.
"Surely to God, when it comes to the All-Ireland senior football final and the All-Ireland senior hurling final, the GAA could up its game? Instead, it’s a box-ticking exercise. They’re going through the motions,” he added.
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