If this plan were measured against the team's schedule from the previous 10 years . . .from January 1996 to their match against Switzerland last October . . . a period in which Ireland played 55 home matches, it would work out at 136.36 a match. With the 10year tickets providing a seat on the East Stand, in which recent prices were 45, this works out at more than a 200 per cent mark-up. Furthermore, 28 of these 55 games . . .just over half . . . were friendly internationals.

And last night the Consumers Association of Ireland chief executive Dermott Jewell was critical of the hike.

"You would usually expect a guarantee of quality for such a jump in money. But it is disappointing that aside from securing a seat, there is no such guarantee."

But FAI press officer Declan Conroy defended the new prices last night. "Relative to what is out there in other sports, it is giving you one of the best seats in the house, a guaranteed seat in the new Lansdowne Road. We would also anticipate that there will be seven matches a year over that period.

"This also guarantees a seat in the new Lansdowne Road, including all its facilities.

Demand for them is very comparable to what's out there. At the moment our Lansdowne Road capacity allows 32,000 and is always full to capacity and sold out through block bookings.

"In the new Lansdowne Road that capacity will increase to 50,000, which will include 10,000 of these premium seats. That still leaves 8,000 additional seats for every type of fan. I would stress that these 10,000 premium seats target a certain segment of the market."

While the ticket will indeed guarantee a seat for Ireland's historic first soccer matches at Croke Park and a re-developed Lansdowne Road, the estimate of seven matches a year appears unrealistic given the international soccer schedule. To meet this, Ireland would have to organise an inordinate number of home friendlies, hardly an attractive proposition for fans at such a price.