McConnell suffered ‘vile abuse’ after Tyrone GAA TV Championship final price increase

TYRONE GAA PRO Eugene McConnell has revealed that he and his family suffered ‘vile and horrendous abuse’ as a result of the fall-out from the Tyrone GAA TV price rises for the recent County Finals.

In his report to next week’s annual County Convention the Clogher man outlines the extent of Social Media criticism aimed in his direction despite him adding that he was against the price hike in 2021 that saw the cost to stream the Senior Football final increase to a whopping £16 and the Intermediate decider go up to £14.

“I wish to place on record within my annual report that I personally at every stage was not in favour of any price increases and furthermore I disagreed at those suggested increases,” his annual report says.

“In the aftermath I was subjected to horrendous and vile abuse directed not only to me but also to my immediate family and friends.

“At the time I had to accept the decisions made but I feel in the interests of fairness I must try to set the record straight.”

McConnell believes the County Board must now come together to decide what a reasonable cost for the streaming service will be.

“Looking forward, I feel a consensus needs to be reached on what should be a fair and equal cost charge for the ability to watch our games. Ultimately this will benefit all concerned.

“I personally have put so much time and energy into making Tyrone GAA TV a success and I am so lucky to be able to call on a large group of individuals who help to make this happen at no cost to anyone. They are all volunteers and they do not charge a penny.

“Again, many nameless individuals ridicule and criticise their efforts which is totally unfair. I thank them for their loyalty shown to me and Tyrone GAA.”

Regardless of any criticism – past, current or future – McConnell, who was delighted with the standard and quantity of the coverage delivered by Tyrone GAA TV in 2021, believes the service is invaluable and vital in the long term to allow all interested to see club matches.

“Tyrone GAA TV is here to stay, and I am hopeful that even much greater coverage can be provided with an enhanced package to make the whole experience even more enjoyable,” he added.

“I firmly believe that the service being provided through streaming is starting to have an impact on those who we would normally are not able for whatever reasons to get to watch our games and who are now given the opportunity to view our games via our live streaming.”