Fears that there would be thousands of empty seats in Croke Park for yesterday's All-Ireland hurling final were allayed when a near-capacity crowd turned up.

Despite being the lowest attendance for a Liam McCarthy Cup decider in five years, the 81,314 (986 short of capacity) figure wasn't as bad as had been feared during the week when it was reported that a number of clubs in Kilkenny were struggling to sell their ticket allocation. One club, Black & Whites, returned 40 tickets to GAA headquarters.

Many cash-strapped fans were angered by the GAA's decision to hike the price of a stand ticket by 12% from €70 to €80 and a terrace ticket by €5 to €40. However, the hike was defended by GAA president Christy Cooney, who highlighted the admission initiatives to championship matches leading up the final in his programme notes.

"We restructured our ticket prices this year in an effort to offer the best value possible. Our club and group passes have also proved to be hugely popular as have the various initiatives including our season ticket," he wrote. Tweet

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