Donegal still working out how to distribute Ulster SFC ticket allocation to clubs

Mary Coughlan admits that Donegal are still working out just how many tickets are going to be available for home supporters for their Ulster SFC clash with Down in Letterkenny. 

Regardless, the county chairperson says most supporters should be prepared to be left disappointed. 

No tickets will go on general sale, and club members in Donegal also won’t be guaranteed a ticket for the Ulster quarter-final due to the limited capacity at O’Donnell Park. 

Jim McGuinness’ men host the Mourne County in Letterkenny on Sunday, April 26, as they bid to make it three-in-a-row in the provincial championship.

With redevelopment works being carried out at MacCumhaill Park, meaning the Ballybofey venue will not be ready until autumn, the Donegal GAA Executive had to look at options for a replacement venue for the fixture.

Moving the provincial quarter-final outside of the county was simply out of the question, Coughlan explained.

And while O’Donnell Park’s reduced capacity of in-and-around 9,000 is a sharp drop off from MacCumhaill Park’s 18,000, retaining home advantage was paramount. 

The number of Donegal season ticket holders for 2026 is logged at 3,452, while Down don’t have any.  

And even though that at least should free up extra tickets for the hosts’ club membership holders, Coughlan has reiterated the fact that demand for tickets will still far outstrip supply.

“We’re of course not going to have the same capacity as we would at MacCumhaill Park, so it’s very important that people realise that even if they are a member of a club, there are no guarantees of a ticket,” Coughlan explained. 

“We have around 3,500 season tickets, and the expectation is that they will all be taken up.

“It will be determined by Ulster for how many tickets each county will get, and we are still awaiting that decision.

“Both teams and sponsors are entitled to tickets, so with the reduced capacity, the amount of tickets that will be available to each club will not be huge. 

“I’m trying to quench expectations at this moment in time because, realistically, not everybody who wants to go to the game will get a ticket.

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“It’s unfortunate, but it is out of our hands, and the view of the executive and the county committee was that it was best to have our own games in Donegal rather than in another venue.

“So we have to work with it. St Eunan’s are doing a huge amount of work as we are speaking, and they are doing their utmost to increase the capacity to the best of their ability within what’s permitted.

“There is a mathematical formula agreed upon by the county committee on how tickets will be distributed.

“But it is important to reiterate that not everyone will get a ticket.”