The View: FBD Semple Stadium will be hopping on Sunday, but unfortunately, without Tipperary

FBD Semple Stadium is being readied this week to host the 2022 Munster senior hurling final - a sellout clash between Clare and holders Limerick is set to capture the imagination of the sport loving public over the course of the Bank Holiday weekend.

It’s been a long time since the famous old hurling mecca was totally sold-out; it’s been a long time since the white heat of championship fare saw the temperature rise to unbearable levels; and it’s been a long time since the decibel levels in and around the Sportsfield rose to the heavens.

But that’s what’s expected on Sunday and it is long overdue. The game comes as a real fillip to Semple Stadium and also to the commercial sectors in Thurles who will benefit greatly from the fixture - the fact that it is a Bank Holiday weekend will no doubt encourage visitors to stay a little longer into the evening.

Throw-in for the senior final is at 4:00pm and visitors are expected to be in the Cathedral Town from early in the morning. This means that patrons will spend their few bob and that can only be good for the shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes in Thurles.

No other venue in Munster does big games better than Semple Stadium and with loads of parking options all along the various approach roads, patrons will be able to get in and out of the town in relative comfort and without too many delays.

But, for Semple Stadium itself, this game is a real bonus. There are very ambitious plans to upgrade the venue with drawings in place to significantly enhance Ardán Uí Chuinneain with, amongst other moves, the addition of a mezzanine level which will be capable of hosting corporate events, and the provision of gym, meeting rooms, and associated facilities. All of this costs money and while Semple Stadium has applied for Sports Capital Grants and other schemes to raise cash, there will also be a requirement to stump up own funds - funds which had been impossible to raise over the last few years due the fact that crowds were not in attendance at the big games.

Thankfully, all of that is changing now and with the opportunities for the Semple Stadium Management Committee to raise funds opening up again, the mood is a bit more up-beat again.

Semple Stadium found it very hard to wash its own face during the Covid pandemic. Bills still had to be paid; maintenance still had to be undertaken; wages were still due at the end of each week; the grass still had to be cut; and the pitch still had to look a million dollars. And yet, no cash was coming through the turnstiles.

Thankfully, Stadium Director David Morgan and his staff, and the Management Committee led by Con Hogan, were able to keep things afloat with the help of the Tipperary County GAA Board. But, it was a real struggle and the longer Covid 19 impacted on the presence in large numbers of spectators and supporters, the harder it was to survive - revenue from club games does not make much of an impact in terms of paying bills. If you want a cash cow, sellout Munster Finals is where it is at.

So, Sunday will see a further return to normal..... of sorts. It will be a sellout; it will be Semple Stadium on Munster Final Day; it will be fabulous.

Sadly, it won’t feature Tipperary - a bit like Hamlet without the prince then.