The Mayo News is out and there are a few pieces in it worth mentioning, relating both to off-field and on-field issues.
Taking the former first, County Board Vice-Chairman Mike Connelly in an interview with Mike Finnerty has clarified that all the money raised by the Cáirde Mhaigheo initiative will go directly towards the county’s football and hurling teams and will not be used for the repayment of the debt on McHale Park. Responding to concerns raised here and elsewhere on the issue in the recent past, Mike Connelly stated that:
The money for the McHale Park repayments is coming from other revenue streams. I can say, categorically, that the fund-raising we are doing under the umbrella of Cáirde Mhaigheo will be all going towards the development of our teams, towards what happens out on the field.
You can’t really get any clearer than that.
The Vice-Chairman (who, incidentally, cannot be labelled as someone who has been at the top table since Methuselah was a pup) also stated that he was delighted with the take-up of the new season ticket and he said that the Cáirde Mhaigheo movers and shakers are planning to meet with those behind Club Mayo Dublin in the near future to sort out with them issues relating to the new fundraising arrangements. In doing so, Connelly said:
“We want to resolve whatever issues there are because we want everybody working together for the betterment of Mayo GAA. It’s time we started going in the one direction”.
Amen to that.
And so to on-field matters, starting with (in case you haven’t seen it already) Mike Finnerty’s match report from Ballinrobe last weekend. Mike states in that report that we have already secured our place in the FBD final and in this report he says that the decider, which will almost certainly be against NUIG, looks set to be held under lights on the evening of Friday, January 27th. The students have apparently already requested the date change (there’s confidence for you) as they’re in Sigerson action the following Tuesday. If the final does go ahead on the Friday night then the venue could either be McHale Park or Flanagan Park in Ballinrobe.
Nice bit of advertising for the site there WJ !
Good that this is now cleared up , now lets see how the club mayo dublin thing pans out.
Good avertizing alright. How can club Mayo raise money for Mayo GAA and not give it directly and without delay to the County Treasurer of the GAA??.
Hope the FBD final is on Friday night Jan 27th, there is nothing to beat a game under lights , there is a special atmosphere, now was in McHale park last year under lights and the place was just too big for a small crowd, just hope this year they go for Ballinrobe with 700- 1000 supporters, it will be much better atmosphere than mchale Park
If the rossies beat us on sunday (unlikely but can happen) & Leitrim beat GMIT (very likely to happen) won’t both teams be locked on 4pts?
Would it come down to GD then?
Mayomagic – I’m not sure if it’s points difference (if it is, we’re +17 on Leitrim going into Sunday’s matches) or head-to-head (which would mean we’re already in the final) that’s being used. Either way, it’s difficult to see an outcome on Sunday that would deny us a place in the final at this stage.
Thanks for clearing that up Willie.