Fans Perplexed At GAA Decision Not To Broadcast Kildare V Dublin

Cedral St Conleths Park is set to host a historic double-header this Saturday afternoon after the GAA confirmed the fixtures for the All-Ireland SHC preliminary quarter-finals and Tailteann Cup quarter-finals.

The Kildare hurlers will host Dublin at 4pm, after their historic Joe McDonagh Cup success against Laois on Sunday, with the Kildare footballers taking on Offaly afterwards in their Tailteann Cup quarter-final at 6.30pm.

However, fans and pundits have been left perplexed by the decision not to send cameras to Kildare's newly renovated home ground.

The stadium which has a capacity of around 15,000 looks set to near a sell-out with anybody unlucky enough not to secure a ticket left without a way of watching the game live.

In March of this year at the launch of GAA+, the GAA's new official streaming service it was announced the platform would show 40 championship games from the Sam Maguire, Liam MacCarthy and Tailteann Cup competitions.

On Monday, the GAA announced its television arrangements for the weekend's games and it confirmed that the GAA+ is showing the other All-Ireland hurling preliminary quarter-final clash between Tipperary and Laois from Laois Hire O'Moore Park. That game is throwing in at 1.45pm.

At 4.15pm GAA+ is also showing live coverage of Roscommon v Cork in a do-or-die clash to see who progresses to the Sam Maguire knockout stages, which is taking place at the same venue.

GAA+ will then stream both Galway v Armagh and Dublin v Derry.

Logistics likely played a huge role in deciding which of the two preliminary hurling quarterfinals would be broadcast.

To be fair to the streaming service you can log onto GAA+ on Saturday afternoon from 1.30pm and you will have intercounty hurling or football available to watch until nearly 9pm but there is still disappointment that possibly the biggest game in Kildare's hurling history will not be shown live.

RTÉ currently have the right to broadcast 31 live games across this year's championships with certain games such as provincial finals deemed as games that must be shown free-to-air.

All care-giving institutions have received free season passes to the streaming service through the HSE and NHI.