Offaly company lead the way on Irish language ticketing

In a groundbreaking initiative, Roscommon GAA has become the first GAA county board to offer the option of online ticket purchasing through the Irish language, thanks to its partnership with Irish software company Future Ticketing, whose headquarters is in Tullamore.

Future Ticketing, Ireland’s most successful indigenous ticketing company and a global leader in digital ticketing, has successfully tailored its software to suit the needs of GAA fans who wish to conduct their business ‘as Gaeilge’.

Future Ticketing and Roscommon GAA said the offering supports the GAA's commitment to the promotion of Irish and ensures the national language is at the heart of the county board’s interaction with supporters.

Arsa Bréain Ó Cearbhaill, Cathaoirleach, CLG Ros Comáin: ''Is cúis mhór áthais do CLG Ros Comáin an pháirtnéireacht seo le Future Ticketing. Tá muid ag tabhairt rogha do dhaoine a gcuid ticéad a cheannach agus iad ag baint leasa as rogha Ghaeilge, rud atá an-tábhachtach do go leor dár gcuid lucht leanta. Cuireann CLG Ros Comáin an Ghaeilge agus an cultúr chun cinn ar bhealach gníomhach agus is sampla eile é an togra seo den tiomantas atá againn do chur chun cinn na Gaeilge taobh istigh de phobal CLG Ros Comáin.''

“Our partnership with Future Ticketing is a source of great joy for Roscommon GAA. We are giving people the option to buy their tickets while making use of the Irish language option, something that is very important to many of our supporters. Roscommon GAA is actively promoting Gaeilge and Irish culture, and this project is just another example of our commitment to fostering the Irish language within the Roscommon community,” Chair of the Roscommon county board Brian Carroll said.

De réir Liam Holton, POF Future Ticketing: “Is luach mór againn ag Future Ticketing go bhfreastlaímid na riachtanais éagsúla ár gcliant. Nuair a thánaig an deis cun rogha Gaeilge a chruthaigh, bhí lúcháir orainn mar ba seans mhór é cun seirbhís lánchuimsitheach a chur ar fáil.”

“Serving the diverse needs of our clients is a core value at Future Ticketing and when the desire for the Irish language option was put to us we were delighted because it gave us the opportunity to further demonstrate our ability to deliver the most comprehensive service possible,” said Liam Holton, Future Ticketing CEO.

Mr Holton added: “Our team have worked closely with our partners in Roscommon GAA to ensure the integrity of the Irish language ticketing platform on the county's website. Indeed we see this as just an initial step in bringing the digital transformation 'as Gaeilge' to the entire Gaelic games community, a community which, like us, now reaches all corners of the globe.”

The counties who partner with Future Ticketing are reaping the benefits of having greater control of their ticket sales through their websites.

The company stressed that GAA supporters purchasing their tickets online are guaranteed their private information is held in a fully GDPR compliant environment, stored in Ireland and only available to the county board.

“County GAA clients operate their ticketing through their own dashboard and this additional functionality means supporters who wish to do so now have a tangible way of backing the GAA's goal of preserving and promoting the Irish language,” Mr Holton concluded.

Future Ticketing has partnerships with GAA county boards in Roscommon, Tipperary, Clare, Longford and Kildare with additional partnerships commencing in the coming weeks.

County boards have been impressed with the company's ability to smoothly integrate digital transactions into existing systems.

Supporters at grounds across the association book their tickets online or walk-up transactions through payment terminals using an easy four-step purchasing process and the counties have immediate access to the revenue.

Fans can use Apple Pay and Google Pay and scanning on entry to grounds gives immediate accurate information to match hosts.

Established by Liam Holton and Mark Cotter in 2015, and chaired by former Failte Ireland chief executive Shaun Quinn, Future Ticketing which is headquartered in Tullamore, is a global provider of cloud ticketing and sales enabling software. Its cost-competitive modern digital solutions have been adopted across multiple leisure sectors including Gaelic games, horse racing, football, rugby, cricket and other sports, major outdoor shows, tourist attractions and the live entertainment market.