All the talk at the moment is focused on the very impressive playing conditions under the Air Dome at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence – where our inter-county season gets going this coming Friday in the FBD League against Galway – but the venue for our Connacht Championship quarter-final meeting with the Tribesmen in late April is in the news today as well.
That provincial opener has been fixed for MacHale Park on Sunday, 24th April, but Mike Finnerty reports in the Irish Examiner today (here) that it’s not certain if the Castlebar venue will be ready by then. It was announced at a recent County Board meeting that 1st May has been set as the target date for completion of the pitch redevelopment works.
In an accompanying piece in this week’s Mayo News (paper and digital editions), Mike expands on the issue, stating that it’s understood the weather between now and late April will have a large bearing on whether or not the re-seeded pitch will be ready to play Championship football on. It was decided to go this route for the new pitch, rather than rolling out pre-grown turf, and this option, while less expensive, obviously takes longer.
If MacHale Park isn’t ready to host the fixture then it’s up to the two counties to agree what to do. It’s a home game for us but we could agree to let Galway host it or else we could agree to play it elsewhere. If the decision is to opt for a neutral venue Hyde Park is the only other Connacht ground that would be capable of hosting the fixture, with Croke Park another possible option for a game that is likely to draw a large attendance.
This pitch should have been done in autumn 2020. There were no crowds allowed at games all the way up to spring 21. All the home games and club games could have been played at any ground in Mayo as capacity wasn’t an issue during that period.
This would also have worked with our home championship games last year as very low crowds were allowed.
As a result of poor planning, we’ve lost revenue for the local economy during our upcoming “home” league games and quite possibly for our championship opener too.
A bit strange that the Mayo GAA PRO would tweet that MacHale Park would host it and now it’s up in the air. Croke Park will suit Mayo better but Connacht championship matches should be played in Connacht IMO.
I wonder when this decision on location will need to be made? We are playing Armagh in the Hyde Parke for the Round 4 league tie at the end of Feb. It would be good to see how the Hyde pitch is holding up then so that the Mayo players and management could make an informed decision about playing galway there. If Machale Park is unavailable then my next personal preference would be the Hyde followed by the game been moved to Croke Park. Again, for me location is purely based on giving us the best chance of winning the game. If the game can’t be played in Castlebar then it should be our choice where it is played. Can’t see Galway been happy if it is moved to Croake Park again but I think I’d get over that 🙂
Would Galway agree to host the game on the condition that the next two Mayo – Galway games would be played in Castlebar?. This is the agreement Cork and Kerry came to when Pairc Ui Chamioh was been redeveloped. I think they played three Cork-Kerry games in a row in Killarney and then in Cork after the pitch reopened.
The very mild weather so far this winter is giving the grass a great chance to get established. I wonder has anyone seen the pitch over the Xmas – has it greened up or has it even got a light cut or still a bit patchy.
Tommy+Joe – you can’t just decide on the spot to spend 300k relaying the pitch. The tiles had to be sold first to fund it, which is why work couldn’t start until 2021.
Add to that wide ball that magicking the 300k or so out of thin air back in 2020 when there was no revenue coming from normal fixtures and the lack of a crystal ball to see precisely how restrictions would continue into spring of 2021 and indeed beyond shows really poor planning on the part of the County board. They should really plant a magic money tree so as to be able to just plough ahead with large capital spending whenever a major pandemic would suitably lead to restrictions on movement, and also employ a medium such as mystic Meg, if she’s available, to be able to foresee a long and extended worldwide health emergency, so as to better aid with forward planning. You’d wonder what they’d be at when it comes to the likes of us on the blog coming up with all the solutions.
At least Mayo have to give up home advantage. Meath went to Dublin for all the 91 games, they set a precedent and the traders of Navan never forgot it. To compound the problem the county board closed the town entrance to all but big games depriving the town of trade.
FBDinashui/Wideball… ‘Lack of a Crystal Ball, Mystic Meg and wait for to sell tiles for the €300K’.. hardly the full picture there… A County Board with a team like Mayo who have qualified for 6 All Ireland finals in the last decade.. I know that costs allot of money, but it also raises allot of money and has to potential to raise much more,.. If Mayo couldn’t raise €300 K at very short notice, just as a financial proposition for repaying all they owe €10Million and had to wait to sell tiles??.. It begs another question or 20 why… Perhaps we should ask why Kerry, with much more success, so much better facilities but much less support are so far ahead of us?.. Or Tyrone?.. Don’t think that there is any danger of either of those two County Board’s giving up home advantage for one year, for the inability to have €300K to use in a timely fashion by not having home game’s for a year, and remember this, it’s not that long ago that McHale was out of commission I think for two years during the late naughties due the redevelopment… I’m sure our County Board inability to lay their hands on €300K at short notice, and relay the pitch when crowds were precluded from attending will conceivably cost the County Board much more than€300K in lost revenue in the long run.. Despite what many have said on this Blog, any team is less likely to win playing away from home, than at home.. Dublin certainly know this, and that’s why, Dublin almost never play a championship game in the home of their opponent.. The ledgentary Stephen Cluxton, probably retired now, has played the most amount of Championship game’s in the history of the Inter county championship, has only played 3 championship game’s in the home of Dublin opponents.. Nothing to do with Mystic Meg or Crystal Balls, in my opinion, it’s bad planning and very bad excuses.
Tickets for Knockmore vs Padraig Pearses this Sunday are on sale. Over 85% sold already according to the website if anyone’s interested.
Anyone know the exact dimensions of the new pitch?
John Prenty said it’s the same dimensions as MacHale Park, which is handy!
Tubberman you are talking about the dome new McHale pk will be wider
New pitch is 6 meters longer than the old one.One of the contractors told me that over the Summer.Dont know about width.Think it’s the same as old one though.
Leantimes I think you should perhaps put yourself forward for involvement with the County board, suggest as treasurer and forward planning officer, as you perhaps would have been able to rustle up 300k during a period when there was little or no regular income for the County board to draw from, and indeed a fascinating insight as to how long restrictions would be in place so as to neatly fit in a relaying of the pitch during an unprecedented period of modern history.
Leantimes – so how should they have got 300k at short notice? At a time when every normal income stream was turned off. Just saying to the contractor “we get to loads of All Ireland finals” probably wouldn’t wash.
I think people are getting ahead of themselves on this one, there is no real information in these articles its all ifs and maybes, basically if the weather is really bad for the next few months then the pitch might not be ready, nowhere does it say the match will definitely be moved. As of now the match is scheduled for McHale Park, it will be march or even early April before anyone can say for certain that the pitch wont be ready. Some County Board bashing going on here thats unfair, I think they have done a good responsible job on the redevelopment of the pitch in a difficult uncertain period and should actually be commended for it.
Some posters here are being unfair on the county board. The condition of the playing surface in McHale park has long been an issue, yet now that works are being done people are still complaining. It was pragmatic that funds were put in place before the contract was agreed, we don’t need any more debts on top of what is being repaid on the stand. As far the timing of the works, the top scientists in the world couldn’t predict how the pandemic was going to play out, yet the county board should have known exactly when to start the redevelopment. Given the importance of having a high-quality playing surface in our county ground, it is reasonable that we should play a few games out of county if need be. We should be able to beat Galway in any venue.
1989 I think width remains the same.
According to the Mayo news 5 players added to Mayo panel Conor McStay Ballina, Justin Healy, Kilcommon, Fionan Duffy Crossmolina , Colm Moran Westport , Owen Mchale Belmullet
Can anyone answer the following questions:
Why is the Mayo Galway game on at 6pm? Little to no regard shown for players or their employers
Why is the game in the dome when indoor capacity is so limited? No mayo or galway fans allowed in the dome. If it was played in Tuam you could have 5000
Johhnyboogeen
I presume players and management prefer to be playing in the dome on a state of the art surface than the shit and muck in January in the west of Ireland and not having to destroy an Inter County surface like the Mayo v Galway Fbd game in 2018 were the pitch was destroyed in one night and took ages to recover. Its going to to be huge benefit for Connacht teams as Andy Moran said in his interview, all 5 Connacht teams have done training sessions there in the last few weeks, can only help teams perform better when they get to Croke Park in the height of Summer. We are so lucky to have it in the County.
Some shambles renewing the season ticket there. Had a 250 one and a 150 euro one on the same account, 400 all up.
Firstly you can’t downgrade back to 150 euro when renewing the 250 euro one which is sneaky of them.
Secondly, with two different adults and two different tickets, you’d logically assume that each one could be renewed separately by each person on different cards.
Wrong.
Paid for the 250 euro renewal, and now the 150 euro ticket that was attached to the account has disappeared. So it appears we just lost out on the cheaper ticket without any warning whatsoever, after 8 years as a season ticket holder.
Shambolic stuff all round.
Johhnyboogen . It’s played at 6pm so that the game is over before the 8pm curfew. Hence why there’s a ‘golden score’ to decide the game at full time if sides are level. There is not enough time to play extra time and/or penalties.
I’m guessing 6pm was a happy medium, they could play it earlier in the day, but that would inconvenience players more.
Some reasons it’s played there –
-showcase the Facility to the country
-certainty that the game goes ahead in bad weather
-uncertainty of how many would be allowed watch outdoors, when fixtures were originally drawn up, I’m guessing
Johnnybogeen- game is at 6pm as government restrictions on indoor gatherings mean it must be finished by 8pm.
Thanks Sam Og. Does that mean Callinan is not featuring I wonder? Presume the Combine has unearthed Justin Healy, of whom I hadn’t heard (not that that’s saying anything).
@FBD/Wideball..The financial position of the Mayo County Board today, the lack of available funds is surely as a result of previous decisions for the last 15 years or there abouts.. One revenue stream gone for 2022 would seem to be the advertising hoarding around an empty Hastings/McPark, even if the debt on Mchale Park is the same, completely unused or otherwise, and then Mayo County Board needs to get all that business back for 2023, it’s impossible to put an exact amount on the loss of good will from local Mayo fan’s and business and there is a greater possibility of relagation from Div One … As I said , it certainly wouldn’t happen in Tyrone or Kerry.
Justin Healy is 24 this year and has been dominating Mayo junior club football for a couple of years now. I’m pleased to see him in there as he’s a point of difference to what we already have. He plays a bit like Tommy Conroy, fast ball winning inside forward. Not something we have loads of in Mayo.
Big fan of Sam Callinan but there’s about 5 similar players to him already in the queue for a spot at wing back, his time will come he’s only 18.
Same thing happened to me just email
sports.tickets@tickemaster.ie and they will put it back up on your account, its more a technical problem than it been done on purpose.
Sam Og, id say that is just the new forwards which have been brought into the panel ? It would be strange not to bring in any new midfielders or backs.
Link to article which notes “Here we pick out five young forwards who are among the new players trying to force their way into James Horan’s plans for the coming season”
https://www.mayonews.ie/sports/37835-opportunity-knocks-for-five-forwards
Agree Johnnybogeen. I know the Dome is a great idea, but in the present circumstances it is daft to be depriving yourself of much needed revenue, while your customers are ‘starving’ outside for the want of entertainment.
I would expect a few more alright, Crossmolina are getting well looked after though for a team that were hammered by Ballyhaunis in the Intermediate championship, 3 in the Panel as of now. I hope we see Luke Jennings, Jamie McNicholas or Colm Reape get a chance in Goal in the Fbd and National Leagues what more are we going to learn with playing Robbie Hennelly, its badly time we find a keeper who is good all around at shot stopping, commanding his square and has a good range of kickouts.
Leantimes, I dont think it accurate to compare the current situation with McHale Park it Tyrone or Kerry. To my knowledge neither of those counties have carried out pitch renovations on their grounds. Would it not be more accurate to compare with Roscommon or Cork who have both carried out similar works (Cork admittedly on a larger scale) and had to play a number of home games in other venues.
Also nowhere has it been confirmed that no games are to be played this year in McHale Park, there is every chance games will be played there. Currently three league games will be played at neutral venues and the Connacht Quarter final scheduled for McHale Park. Should we win that then there every chance subsequent Connacht games will be played there too. We will of course have club championships played in McHale park this year to (some of which will be televised) so id image advertising hording will be displayed.
What extra benefits do you get with the €250 season ticket over the cheaper one?
I assumed it covered all club championship games but it doesn’t give any details on the site.
@keeper Sweeper, I’m a club + member myself,I’ve just renewed and am trying to find out what “extra” I’m getting.
In the past there was the no attendance requirement (now same as normal season ticket) nice Mayo branded stuff like jackets,umbrella,gillets,suitcases (they just stopped that a few years ago with no explanation)
The price went up €50 this year aswell and nobody seems to know what’s going on.Id happily downgrade to normal season ticket now as its seems to be the exact same thing at nearly half the price but as mentioned on here and elsewhere online that’s not an option.
Ps I really don’t like to be too negative as I think there’s been way too much of that over the last few months but while I’m on a rant………
We bought a tile whenever they came out (9 months ago?) Never received a receipt,an email,a thank you or indeed any correspondence whatsoever. I only know they received it as the money went out of my account,poor form.
As the Mayo v Galway game is been live streamed from the dome on Friday evening at a cost of €10 – it will generate a lot of revenue for the Connaught council.
I can only speak for myself – but at this time of year I would much prefer to pay €10 and watch the game in the comfort of my own home and with it played in the dome – weather wont spoil the game.
Looking at the forecast for the weekend – wet, cold and windy – paying €10 to travel to Tuam on Saturday or Sunday afternoon to watch a glorified challenge game ruined by the weather and a heavy pitch is not very appealing.
Connaught council could easily get 8,000 – 10,000 people tuning in on Friday.
@Mayomad, I compare both Kerry and Tyrone to Mayo, because both have centers of excellence, both have contested All Ireland finals in the last decade.. Both have very good support, but neither could boast 50% of the consistent support Mayo has, and for me support means revenue,.. Roscommon yes relaid, instead of reseeded Hyde Park meaning a much less time when game’s couldn’t be played there, and currently Roscommon have as good a playing surface as there is in Ireland, .. and of course Hyde Park was not out of action in the naughties like McHale Park was.. With respect I very much doubt that advertising revenue from the hoarding at club game’s will amount to anything like an intercounty game involving Mayo, and it’s not a great start for the new Name sponcering the Mchale Park stadium… It will be interesting to see what happens when Healy Park in Omagh is relaid or reseeded as it is showing the signs of wear and tear at the moment.
Yep,it’s a no brainer to play this in the facilities we have in Bekan.Anyone I talked to is looking forward to settling in on fri to watch it.
They’ll get good revenue from it and it’ll be a much better game than slogging around in the muck in early Jan,looking forward to it.
Leantimes when precisely, given what was known and when it was known, would have been the best time to lay the new pitch in McHale park?. I’d just like to get a better understanding of what you would view as “good planning” and in particular I’d like you to clarify this in the context of the financial situation.
As someone else posted, people were moaning about the state of the pitch before, and it’s probably the same ones whinging now that something is being done about it. And all of this whinging is being done with the benefit of hindsight, which a wise man once described as the foresight of a gobshite. The financial state of affairs is what it is and no amount of what ifs and what about a will change what has happened in the past.
@FBDinashui.. Who exactly was the wise man who described hindsight as the foresight of a Gobshit?.. Good planning, you ask what would my definition be?.. There was restrictions for crowds at sporting fixtures down to a few hundred at most well up until July 2021, that is neither hindsight or foresight, that is a fact, a fact that can’t be changed. .. September 2021, was when McHale Park was reseeded, another fact, a foolish fact by those who planned it such, neither a wiseman, or even a foolish man could say different.. ,.. Even tough the last intercounty fixture held in Mchale Park (when concidering restrictions could easily have been held in Ballina) was v Sligo.. Take your pick of any of several idle Mchale Park months prior to September 2021, as a much better and sensible time to reseed, if reseeding was the way to go as being much better.. You don’t need the foresight of Notradamus to know the grass growth of the seasons,.. FBD, do you really believe that September (September 21st was the presice date I heard, but I am open to being enlightened if that isn’t the exact correct date) was a wise time for reseeding concidering the already practically known schedule for the league and an earlier championship at the time?..
McHale Park is the best GAA venue in Connacht by a mile, Dr Hyde park has a fantastic playing surface but that’s where it end, they built a stand behind the existing terrace which means patrons are too far away from the pitch, the entrance route is terrible full of puddles on a wet day and they don’t even have a digital scoreboard. Pearse Stadium has a reasonable surface, stand small but outdated , gravelled rough surroundings and a disaster to access. Markievicz Park is best described as a shed, limited parking pitch poor enough in winter.Pairc Mc Diarmada is small but one of my favourite venues. McHale Park needed resurfacing badly and so be it if the town misses out on a few games, summer will come and hopefully we’ll be be back in Croker again
@Southmayo Exile I’ll be shocked if they get half that number tuning in to watch. By having it outdoors 5,000 would likely attend plus you could still live steam the match which would result in bigger revenue for the Connacht GAA.
Got to say I found the timing of the reseeding confusing. Anyone who’s from a farm Knows that you get sweet f all growth in October and November when temperatures are cold and the days are getting shorter. There’s a reason fella put the cows in for the winter after all!
For a pitch like this, late April/may would have been the textbook time to sow the new reseed and allow it to tiller up and thicken out during the long warmer summer days.
Will be interesting to see if the establishment was patchy and less vigorous having been sown so late in the year.
Often farmers who reseed fields in late autumn end up having to do it again in spring.
Thanks Larry Duff for the update on Justin Healy. Good to know there’s a pedigree there.
I think I need to row back on my suggestion on your application to the County Board Leantimes, even with the benefit of hindsight, you seem to forget the various restrictions that existed (ignoring further that you’ve not made any comment with regards the availability of finances for the project) as well as some of your own musings on the location of games around about that time.
https://www.irishpost.com/news/when-will-ireland-lift-coronavirus-restrictions-210443
No one would have known that restrictions would still apply to games in May and June of last year, so had the CB moved games when higher capacity may have been permitted would no doubt have been bad planning too, and you’d likely have had something negative to say about them for that had that decision been made and capacity at games increased. We played Leitrim on the 11th of July and the decision to play the game in Croke park was confirmed on the 13th of July. You yourself made the comment “Castlebar or nowhere” – https://www.mayogaablog.com/?p=28943#comment-411666 – in response to this. In fact you had quite a bit of negative comment about the change of venue – https://www.mayogaablog.com/?p=28943#comment-411673 and more of the same negativity in the same thread. It seems a common theme.
As for when work had begun, the Connacht Telegraph confirmed this work started in August https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2021/08/24/work-on-new-mchale-park-playing-surface-is-costing-e250000/.
Specs were completed in January and tenders issued at that point, with completion of the tender process was expected in mid March (as reported here – https://www.mayonews.ie/sports/36572-machale-park-pitch-to-be-tackled).
Details on what the funding status was reported in April as well as confirming the tendering process was completed, here https://www.mayonews.ie/sports/36691-machale-park-project-ramps-up – confirming that the fundraising included Sports grants which all needed to be approved were in place.
That’s a bit of hindsight for you there on the how’s and when’s.
As for “Who exactly was the wise man who described hindsight as the foresight of a Gobshit(e)” – I believe that might have been our host, Willie Joe himself that I first heard that expression from.
Ouch!
I’m not sure I’ve seen such a comprehensive smackdown in 25 years on the Internet!
I agree Sam og. We need to look at keeper options. A proper shot stopper and dominant in the air .also kick outs are important. Perhaps we should look at reape. And yes alot of crossmolina panelists from a bad club championship year. On knockmore on Sunday they need to really step up from the last outings. Very reliant on mcgloughlin. Happy New year to all blogger s and yourself willie joe. Hope its a good one
FDB – that IS a trenchant reply!!
Willie Joe,I think that a couple of long time posters are getting stir crazy,perhaps they need something to do,anyway all the best for the coming year I really hope that you can keep up the good work,which is immense
Cant understand all the drama and grandstanding regarding the pitch upgrade because it has absolutely nothing to do with the pandemic, doesn’t everyone realize the work had to be carried out regardless of covid and that a consequence of any upgrade is disruption.
People need to show a bit of patience and it’s hardly as if McHale Park was a fortress, far from it. A team like Mayo should be able to perform at any venue at this stage.
@FBDinashui, I thank you for your extensive research on the topic we have been debating.. But surely, your are missing the point and several points, I stand over my point that it’s very very bad planning to reseed a pitch in September,.. The league schedule and the very early championship start was already known, and the decreased possibility/probality of playing intercounty game’s in McHale Park, would come about due to the date of reseeding. Now the Grass growing season has been known since man first farmed in Mayo over 5000 year’s ago, the debt on Mchale which must still be repaid, maybe the debt will still be there in 5000 years as a legacy for our childrens children, a bit like the consept of Original Sin, for Eve taking a bite out of an Apple, if the Stadium continues to be out of action for the most important date’s and revenue raising possibilities in the GAA calendar.. As for my conviction that the Connacht Final of 2021 be played in Connacht , or even in Mchale Park, I also stand over that, if Mchale Park was fit to host Leitrim it was fit to host Galway on the same date as it was played in Croke Park..I also have to consede that I was WRONG in saying that Sligo was the last game played in Mchale Park,it was as you have proven beyond doubt Leitrim, not being able to attend game’s must have muddled my mind this.
Now of course FBD and I certainly believe you to be intelligent enough to know that had McHale Park been plouged up for reseeding at that date it couldn’t be available for the Connacht Final, Pearce Stadium or Hyde Park would have been available… The extra cost of traveling to Croke Park for fan’s from Connacht, the extra risk of traveling on busses and trains to Croke Park, with Covid still a huge problem.. I certainly believe for the reasons I have given that I made a reasonable case. .. The real problem is the debt, which prevented Mayo reseeding or as the Rossies did relaying the pitch at an earlier date to September and the general restrictions as to Covid were well known for all of last year.. Even tough as you have pointed out in your well researched post, exactly the dates and the exact restrictions were NOT known, but without any effort at all I was able to find several different versions of what and when restrictions might be at various date’s throughout 2021 in several different publications.. I believe that you know this yourself, no doubt you have gone to quite a bit of effort to find the relevant ones that suits your purpose….
On everyone’s behalf i sneaked a peek through the narrow gap at the gate on the bacon factory end today and am glad to report that the grass on Mc H looks very lush. In fact I’d say there’s at least a week’s grazing for 20 hoggets there if anyone is stuck .
@FBD, can you give us a detailed account of why Mayo failed at the All Ireland of 2021 ?
This surely will help Mayo management.
Leantimes I’m sure that planning to seed a pitch in September is not ideal in terms of how this impacts fixtures but given it seems to be an 8 to 9 month process there’s no way it can be done without impacting games. The facts as I have laid out are the timelines as to when the tender was done, and restrictions that existed as they were known at the time. When these tenders are done, it’s not going to be a case of the successful bidder being able to drop all else they are at to start that job. There’s a lead time to all of this that has to be accounted for. The provider themselves will be in the middle of or at best finishing other contracts before they can start yours.
As it happens – I didn’t pick any articles to suit my argument but if you have some that counter it, or that counter the detail on the restrictions that were in place, I’ll gladly review.
As for the county board and their planning, I really don’t understand how you can view the improvements as a negative. It had to happen and it had to happen sometime so it was inevitable that some time it wasn’t going to be available for some games and that was that. Should the county board check to see if it’s going to raise a whinge from some folks on the blog before any improvement work?. The constant negativity and whinging and looking to find fault with every single aspect of what goes on must take some effort. I really don’t know now some people do it.
I won’t Mayo88, but I’m sure Mayo Management know better than I or anyone on here as to what went wrong.
@Leantimes, agree with some of your points but I think you will find that August / September is actually the best time to reseed when it comes to this sort of project in Ireland and a comparison to what farmers do isn’t applicable and @Larry Duff is also making the same mistake when he refers to farm land.
It’s a playing surface and a comparison to a farmers field cannot be made.
So there would be nothing unusual about reseeding in September at all.
@FBDinashui, .. I recall Bertie Ahern in the naughties saying something very similar, but going further to what you are now saying as regards ‘Negativity’ when certain aspects of his leadership as Taoiseach was questioned.. Perhaps what you regard ad ‘Negativity’ is really ‘Objectivity’ or not as case may be?,.. Because you refer to my what I believe to be a fair and objective critique of the current lack of an available playing surface in a Stadium as ‘Negativity’ won’t really have any bearing on whether Mayo fan’s get into their car’s or busses for every game this Winter and Spring, every game being an away game, and that the Gaels of Mayo will still have in some way or find €10Million to pay off a debt into the future, well into the future..Of course I accept that the playing surface will be better as a result of the reseeding no doubt about it, but most if all the the 2022 intercounty season will be over before this happens.. As the naughties came to an end, the boom had stopped getting boomier, but the doom had started getting doomier, the Troika were packing their bags and heading to Ireland.. Bertie or his pronouncements didn’t seem so convincingly anymore..What will the Mayo fan’s think, as they realize we don’t have any home games?.. I humbly suggest many may think to themselves, why was Mchale Park not reseeded at a much earlier date than September and McaHale Park might be available?, They may decide to go to the Hyde Park Roscommon, St Jarleths Park Tuam and McDiarmuid Park Carrick on Shannon but it’s unlikely that it would be in the same numbers had they been able to support Mayo at home.
@Leantimes, reseeding at the wrong time and the project could go pear shaped and you are left in a far worse situation with absolutely zero comeback as regards to claims against the contractor.
I’m afraid Leantimes, what you see as your Objectivity I can only see as incessant whingeing. Games are moved?. You whinged. Games aren’t moved and the pitch remains a state, and I’m sure you’ll whinge. This has been demonstrated before, and it seems you have a limitless source of energy to find fault where there is none. Usually you manage to throw in a whinge about Dublin’s advantages into entirely unrelated conversations. I commend your energy but feel if could be better spent elsewhere. Such negativity can’t be good for you or those around you. As for the debt, it is what it is and it will have to be dealt with and it has nothing to do with the state of the pitch, other than to have likely delayed its improvement until now, and now that it’s being improved, you’re creating a negative again. I’ve no doubt Mayo fans will travel in their usual numbers to support their team, because they are positive about the team and want them to succeed.
Anyway at this point, I’m done discussing with you, I’m sure readers and posters can make up their own minds. I’m reminded of a quote that is often wrongly attributed to George Bernard Shaw, Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln about wrestling, but I think it would fall foul of house rules.
I don’t think @Leantimes is being overly negative at all, he is simply pointing out the state of affairs and while reseeding in August / September would not be considered too late at all purely from a horticultural point of view this should not take away from the general point which @Leantimes is making which is the work should have been carried out earlier.
And when you look at the report of the county board meeting back in March 2021 then @Leantimes does indeed have a valid point. There are quotes in that report from Mayo GAA Board assistant treasurer Michael Diskin, who was overseeing the pitch resurfacing, which are totally at odds with what actually transpired.
He is reported to have said that he was “hoping that the works would be completed in time for the start of next year’s National League in February” and that “the worse-case scenario would be that the pitch would re-open in April 2022”.
So what’s worse than the “worse case scenario”, that’s a new one.
So @Leantimes point shouldn’t be dismissed with gallows humour or “it is what is is”, things will never fall into place for Mayo until there is a more professional approach from top to bottom.
The quotes in the linked report do give weight to @Leantimes argument.
https://www.mayonews.ie/sports/36572-machale-park-pitch-to-be-tackled
@FBDinadhui, .. maybe my observations on Dublin advantages are NOT entirely unrelated to my general argument.. Dublin have been for well over a decade, been bequeathed the defacto National Stadium, Croke Park at the expense of all the Gaels of Ireland, they don’t even pay for the cutting of the grass in Croke Park, the GAA has bought I believe two farm’s just for the continuing relaying of the playing surface in Croke Park.. Mayo fan’s have been traveling the highways and byways of Ireland, sometimes playing Games that shouldn’t be in Croke Park, eg the Westmeath backdoor game, that should NOT be played in Croke Park,.. Newbridge or Nowhere, was a revenue earner for Kildare and St Conleths Park Newbridge, with not alone Kildare making home advantage count and beating Mayo, (Kildare were well aware that Home Advantage is what is says on the tin, an Advantage) but because of the publicity generated, Kildare have been given a big Grant (not a big loan) for the redevelopment of St Conleths Park,..(sorta took the heat away from a certain director of the GAA, who suggested that if Newbridge or Nowhere went ahead there would be blood on the Streets of Newbridge, and he kept his job). And instead of bringing far more revenue to Croke Park, Kildare managed to get some matchday revenue from the day and the grant money as well., Mayo playing in Croke Park brings the GAA far more money than the vast majority of Leinster Championship game’s, this adds value to the Sponcers Advertising of Croke Park, but takes it away from, provincial ground’s like Mchale Park, Hyde Park or Pearce Stadium .. The same goes for playing Galway in Limerick , Mayo fan’s in their continued loyalty and their multidude have been subsidizing Dublin in particular, while we are in huge debt, and had to wait for the selling of tiles in order to start reseeding (as opposed to relaying) the playing surface in Mchale Park.. Now just over one decade since Mchale Park was out of commission for two intercounty season’s, it can hardly pass without mention that it seems very likely that Mchale will once again miss another entire Inter County playing season. .. After St Conleths Park Big Grant from the GAA, doubt it would happen in Kildare either.