Ciarán Whelan: Weekend's football emphasises need for changes

Ciarán Whelan says the weekend's All-Ireland quarter-final action was another reminder that Gaelic football needs to change if it wants to capture the public's imagination.

Only Taylor Swift would be disappointed to see the guts of 100,000 people turn up at a stadium on consecutive days, but the 49,896 punters who paid into Croke Park on Saturday, and the 47,406 who went through the turnstiles a day later, are down on the number that might have made the journey a decade ago.

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Leinster Rugby were the last side to sell out the Jones' Road venue when they defeated Northampton in this season's Investec Champions Cup semi-final.

Gaelic football's drift towards basketball, with short passing and teams retreating in numbers as soon as they lose possession, is part of the reason why people have begun to turn their back on the game.

Added to that a new calendar, which has taken the All-Ireland championship out of its traditional post-Premier League/provincial rugby season slot, has moved the early championship games into direction competition with other sports.

While the increased number of games, when money is tight, and when many of the new games have little jeopardy, has meant that the GAA has struggled to build supporter momentum in 2024.

The Leinster football final, which would have attracted close to sell out crowds earlier in this century - particularly when Dublin were involved - saw just 23,113 pay through the turnstiles in May when the Sky Blues defeated Louth for their 14th consecutive title.

For Whelan, who was speaking on the RTÉ GAA Podcast, it's a sign that the powers that be are correct to be looking at rule changes for 2025.

"I think