For the most devoted of Mayo fans, this year's Championship has offered plenty of drama.
With two games played in Castlebar, subsequent trips to Galway, Clare, Limerick and Dublin (four times come this tomorrow's replay) have kept many Mayo fans busy throughout the summer - and it's not necessarily over yet.
However, it cannot have been as enjoyable for their bank balance.
Taking a hypothetical family of four - two adults & two children - living in Ballina who have driven to each match, and have bought four stand tickets for each match. We decided to do the hard sums and calculate the cost of this drawn-out summer for Mayo's football-mad families, of which we know there are plenty.
Poor Mayo fans will be broke following them around
— Patrick Robinson (@culchiesrule) August 20, 2017
Factoring in the price of match tickets, petrol, tolls and parking, these essential costs demonstrate the financial damage Mayo have inflicted upon their followers in 2017.
For the purposes of calculating the fuel and parking costs, we have worked off an average estimation which is stated below. First off though, Mayo's nine matches and how much tickets have cost.
Cost of Match Tickets:
Vs Sligo, Connacht Quarter-Final:
Venue - McHale Park, Castlebar (38km)
Tickets - €25 x 2 Adults / €5 x 2 Juveniles = €60
Vs Galway, Connacht Semi-Final:
Venue - Pearse Stadium, Galway (117km)
Tickets - €25 x 2 Adults / €5 x 2 Juveniles = €60
Vs Derry, Qualifiers R2:
Venue - McHale Park, Castlebar (38km)
Tickets - €25 x 2 Adults / €5 x 2 Juveniles = €60
Vs Clare, Qualifiers R3:
Venue - Cusack Park, Ennis (167km)
Tickets - €25 x 2 Adults / €5 x 2 Juveniles = €60
Vs Cork, Qualifiers R4:
Venue - Gaelic Grounds, Limerick (197km)
Tickets - €25 x 2 Adults / €5 x 2 Juveniles = €60
Vs Roscommon, All-Ireland Quarter-Final:
Venue - Croke Park, Dublin (245km)
Tickets - €35 x 2 Adults / €5 x 2 Juveniles = €80
Vs Roscommon, All-Ireland Quarter-Final Replay:
Venue - Croke Park, Dublin (245km)
Tickets - €25 x 2 Adults / €5 x 2 Juveniles = €60
Vs Kerry, All-Ireland Semi-Final:
Venue - Croke Park, Dublin (245km)
Tickets - €45 x 2 Adults / €5 x 2 Juveniles = €100
Vs Kerry, All-Ireland Semi-Final Replay:
Venue - Croke Park, Dublin (245km)
Tickets - €35 x 2 Adults / €5 x 2 Juveniles = €80
Total Ticket Cost: €620
Ticket Prices Should have be reduced by more for the Kerry Vs Mayo replay
— Shaney🐧 (@shanem367) August 21, 2017
Cost Of Fuel:
Using this AA guideline to determine our petrol-buying family's cost of transport, we initially had to calculate the kilometres they had traveled. Although it is difficult to simulate the effects of a match-day on traffic etc, we afforded them the quickest route to each of our nine venues. Factoring in the return journey also, our family of four clocked up just over 3,000 kilometres this summer - those two Croke Park replays were a killer.
Based on average cost of petrol, and an average car's fuel economy, we've estimated this to be about €300.
Cost Of Tolls:
Again, it is those trips to Dublin that add up here. €2.90 for each trip through the tolling bridge in Enfield means their eight journeys through there can be rounded down to €23.
So, before we even to get to miscellaneous costs this poor family of four deal with such as food, drink, jerseys and other paraphernalia, you're looking at a total cost of €943. Never mind the League. And if they make the final....
This is obviously a very round figure, but it's hard to see even the best penny pinchers in the county spending less than €1000 bringing their family to support their team this summer.
We queried whether the emotional strain of Mayo's games against Derry, Cork, Roscommon and Kerry could be assigned a realistic price, but ultimately accepted that dealing with such turmoil is part and parcel of any Championship year for Mayo's long-suffering fans. And sure, "Mayo always give you your money's worth!"
Important Note: If this "family" were to avail of the GAA Season Ticket, their initial ticket cost would be €238, and their match ticket price would have been €400, meaning the cost would be much the same, though they would have doubtless saved when attending League games.
