Ulster GAA President Aogan Farrell has defended the decision to hold this year's Ulster SFC semi-final at St Tiernach's Park in Clones.

There has been some criticism recently over staging the games at the Monaghan venue but in an interview with Jerome Quinn after Donegal's quarter-final win over Cavan on Sunday, Mr Farrell explained that reasons behind the decision came down to the "huge advantage" it offers to families which will see their under 16s gain free admission.

"We've chosen Clones because we don't have to have it all-ticket. So therefore all our under 16s can come free that's a huge advantage to our families. Students can use there student card and get a 10 euro ticket admission and with old age pension we also have open seating for 10 euro," stated Mr Farrell.

"So we all those advantages of having it in open. Had we chosen a venue as some had suggested Omagh for example - Omagh is a lovely venue and I have no doubt there'll be plenty games in Omagh - but it would have had to been all-ticket and we would have been rightly attacked for not considering the families coming along with 7-year-old children having to play full price.

"It's fairly simple logic. It's a nice venue in Clones and a traditional venue and it will be open for everybody," he added.

The Cavan man also stated that patrons attending games were getting superb value for their money to see "the best players in Ireland".

"There are family tickets available where you can buy an adult ticket and a family ticket at five euro. You can also bring groups in and group tickets are available for clubs and schools and groups like that," he explained.

"But the big advantage is the under 16s getting in free. That's a huge advantage to a family and don't forget even at the full price - open seating at 25 euro - that is still fantastic value for money. We're talking about the best players in Ireland and we're looking at semi-finals in Clones, so I think we offer tremendous value for money and I look forward to a great crowd in Clones over the next two Sundays."

Video courtesy of Ulster GAA. For more Ulster GAA video, go to the Ulster GAA Channel on Youtube Tweet

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