Keep off the grass - Semple explanation for fans on pitch ban

The management committee of Semple Stadium has reiterated its policy that no spectators will be allowed on the pitch "at any time on match days".

Many GAA grounds allow fans onto the pitch at half-time or after games, and the sight of children pucking around is common at venues like Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork.

That has been praised by some as fostering a connection with the next generation of fans but management committee chairman Con Hogan says that the Thurles venue, the country's second biggest stadium by capacity (45,690), considers the risks to health and safety or damage to the pitch are too great to allow the practice.

In a statement issued by Tipperary GAA, Hogan said: "The policy of Semple Stadium Management, supported by Tipperary County Board, is to discourage encroachment by patrons onto the pitch at any time on match days.

"The reasons for this policy are twofold; the first and most important is in the interest of public safety, and the second is the protection of the pitch.

"The greatest risks to patrons at a game occur when they leave the safety of their spectator area and enter the pitch, which is reserved for the players and match officials only. Typical accidents/incidents that occur include, slips, trips and falls when rushing onto the pitch, pitch invasion while the game is still in progress, crushing around teams or around the presentation area, lost children, theft, and potentially the most dangerous of all, uncontrolled pucking sliotars around in the thick of a crowd on the pitch after a game.

"All of these incidents have occurred at Semple Stadium; some have resulted in injury and loss to individuals and some have resulted in financial loss. That is why, in the interests of our patrons' safety, we