The use of GAAGO has caused quite a bit of debate among GAA supporters in recent times, although it is fair to say that Cork fans have probably had more to say than most others.
There is an obvious reason for that. The county have seen a huge number of their championship fixtures on the service this summer, with three Munster Hurling Championship games and their Munster Football Championship semi-final against Kerry put behind a paywall.
That does seem like an inordinate amount of games featuring one county on GAAGO, especially inside the first month or so of the championship window.
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Pat Spillane throws a dig at Cork over their GAAGO complaints
Cork fans may not be happy about the use of GAAGO for so many of their fixtures, but some have pointed out the irony of some within the county complaining about the GAA attempting to beef up their revenue with the streaming service.
Writing in the Sunday World, Pat Spillane said that Cork's need for payouts from the GAA in recent years makes their complaints rather ironic. In saying that, he did label the decision to show three of the county's hurling fixtures on GAAGO as a 'cynical money-grabbing exercise'.
Every GAA championship match cannot be shown on free-to-air television. Furthermore, GAAGO is damn good value and generates much-needed revenue for the Association.
It is ironic that the latest outpouring of anger about GAAGO originated in Cork.
More than any other county, they need generous handouts from the GAA over the next decade as they attempt to pay off the eye-watering €30m debt on Páirc Uí Chaoimh...
Putting three of Cork’s Munster hurling championship matches behind a pay wall is a cynical money-grabbing exercise.
Even though they haven’t won an All-Ireland since 2005, Cork hurlers still have a potentially bigger support base than any other hurling team. The GAA needs to be careful what they wish for.
If they persist with this money generation policy through broadcasting, rest assured it won’t be long before the players demand their slice of the financial pie.
As a Kerry legend, you get the sense that Pat Spillane enjoys the opportunity to throw a dig at Cork every now and then. The former RTÉ pundit is a fan of GAAGO overall, although he also clearly have some concerns about the way the service is currently being used.
Regardless of the complaints from many supporters, it seems as though it will be here to stay.
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