Ahead of the opening round of matches this weekend in the club Championships, Mayo GAA provided some more information today (here) about the games they play to stream live via their Mayo GAA TV service.
This coming weekend they’re streaming matches on both Saturday and Sunday. The first of these features Moclair Cup holders Knockmore who open the defence of their title against Aghamore on Saturday evening at 5pm. Then on Sunday they’re showing what promises to be a fascinating clash between Westport and Ballaghaderreen, which gets underway at 3.30pm.
The following weekend they’re streaming three matches. On Friday night it’s the meeting of Aghamore and Charlestown Sarsfields (8pm), on Saturday it’s Castlebar Mitchels against Westport at 4pm and on Sunday it’s Ballina Stephenites versus Claremorris at 1pm.
Games cost €7 to watch on a PPV basis but anyone who’s interested in following the full campaign might want to consider buying the season pass instead, which is available for €60.
If you’re a season ticket holder and you purchased a tile under the Laochra Mhaigh Eo initiative then you’re eligible for a complimentary season pass. I understand that Mayo GAA will be in touch with those involved at some point during the week.
So, plenty of online action to look forward to but that’s not all the Mayo SFC coverage this weekend. This is because TG4 will be broadcasting Sunday’s game between Breaffy and The Neale live at 2pm.
As well as that, many – myself included – will be planning to get to a match this coming weekend. If that includes you, then please note that you have to buy your match ticket in advance online and you can do that here.
It’s great to have the club action back once more. It’ll definitely shorten the lead-in to winter this year.
Credit where credit is due – this is a great service by the county board especially for people living outside the county who cant get to games. At €60 season pass represents great value.
The quality of the camera work last weekend for Westport v Breaffy was also very good – except for the microphone picking up some of Martin Carney’s heavy breathing!!. I think he was feeling the cold.
Breaffy V The Neale is on TG4 on Sunday at 2pm
The complimentary season pass for Season ticket holders who purchased a tile under the Loachra Maigh Eó scheme is a pleasant surprise. Must check my email regularly. But being there is the best option so I will be checking tickets for Ballagh’ v Westport.
Willie Joe, do you, or anyone else know if the county champions will go forward to a Connacht club championship this year or is still operating under Covid conditions?
Joet1480 – I’m almost certain there are both provincial and All-Ireland Championships at club level this season.
Anyone think the system where you can purchase club tickets only online is mental? Loads of older people won’t know how to do that. You might even decide last minute to head to a particular game or shoot from one game to another.
I don’t think it will be enforced. It’s a disaster waiting to happen. Are local stewards going to deny people who don’t have an online ticket or one saved to their phone in?
Does anybody know if you need the ticket printed off….?
Or can you show them the ticket on your phone.???
Clear as mud.
Preview of Mayo Exclusive Junior Championship . Local papers haven’t much room this week with All Ireland & Senior & Intermediate. We give it our best shot and Kilmeena manager John Reilly kindly joined us.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6a4OoMGMkTBus764eAxsFW?si=_iTnUIhlRiujL7Uw2s6Eug&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1
Agree that this system will probably put some off attending. There will be rows. I don’t really see the logic. Are there going to be scanners at every game, senior, intermediate and junior. Was at 2 games at the weekend €5 cash entry, so I imagine it’s nothing to do with covid. If it is a covid precaution are they going to stop clubs selling their lotto for cash inside the gate. It’s another case of cb shooting themselves in the foot for no apparent reason.
Attendances will be down.
There are scanners at games, it’s a mobile phone app. And it’s the same in every county, HQ dictate I think
The same system of purchasing tickets in advance for club championship games is in place where I live now. So its probably a directive from Croke park rather than a Mayo county board decision to go down this route.
Same were I live, even at u 13
Club football will be a welcome distraction from the county madness which is still raging on. Some very interesting and hard-hitting pieces in the local press today. A few of them rightly make the distinction between criticism, scrutiny and abuse, and it has always been a theme of Mayo football – whether it’s on or off the field – that those who make decisions are all too happy to label any negative or constructive feedback that comes their way as abuse, no matter how thoughtful or well-intended it might be.
It takes big men to have the integrity to look in the mirror and decide whether “being right” or “getting it right” is more important and a bit of open-mindedness and humility can yield far greater results down the line than battening down the hatches.
Anyway, back to the club championship. Really looking forward to the weekend. I think the system of buying tickets online in advance is a good one and I assume that this will work in real time (i.e. if you rock up to the game without realising it’s online purchase only, and you do it there and then on your phone, I assume your ticket will scan immediately). However if it’s a CP directive, it does feel like a drastic change that could have been phased in (and as usual, communicated better). I can’t see anyone with any sense turning away cash-paying supporters at a time like this.
Season ticket holders who purchased tiles received emails with voucher number today.
Just went on to dublin and kerry gaa sites, both are selling tickets online but both are also taking money at the gate. The kerry senior hurling final was 15 online, 20 at the gate. In Dublin club championship is 10 online or 13 at the gate. In dublins case they say cash will only be taken at that gate if the match isn’t a sellout. Can’t see too many sellouts here in Mayo.
@REDCOL – Great Podcast again, the knowledge ye have of club football around the county is unreal.
The Junior Championship is very hard to call, not much between the top 3/4 teams.
In Galway matches are 10 online and 15 at the gate
Willie Joe just read the article in today’s Times by Keith Duggan in which you contributed. Great to see the blog getting such a positive mention in the midst of all the bile going on in other sites. We all owe you an enormous debt for keeping the site going and allowing the space for reasoned and passionate debate.
Thanks, JJ – I spoke with Keith yesterday on it. The tenor of debate on here is different (and way better) than the wild baying on social media and I wanted to get that point across.
Willie Joe we now have the President of the GAA highlighting the abuse Mayo players got from their own supporters after the final. Fair play to you for keeping an eye out for a very small minority of people stirring things up on this blog. People need to chill out. Up Mayo.
I bought a tile and am CM ticket holde4 but no email,nice gesture though.
I’m sure it’s been said before but thanks WJ for providing a space to have (mostly!) reasoned debate.
The cesspool of social media that has necessitated the County board and the president of the GAA to release statements is a horrible spectacle and best avoided.
FW – keep an eye out for that email as you should be getting one. I got mine a bit earlier on and it contains the voucher code that activates the season pass.
Does anybody know what the crowd limit is for club championship games is…?
It’s 500, Tomthumb.
I thought the rule now is 50% capacity for games? It’s hard to keep up in fairness.
It’s capped at 500 for now – Dermot Butler is quoted in today’s Mayo News confirming this.
The Wexford county hurling final had more than 500 at it. More like 5,000. Anyone know where the likely venue of the county finals will be this year or will it be a wait and see who is in it?
Are any clubs streaming their games on Facebook at the weekend or is it just what’s on Mayo gaa tv ?
However sad it was to lose the All Ireland Final, the fallout since has been sickening. I would divide the abuse directed at the players and management into 2 groups. First you have the ridicule directed at us by the usual suspects . Each year after the AI defeat the guy that was removed as an rte panellist and who spews nonsense in a Sunday newspaper column once again takes aim. Amazingly some people in our own county actually rate him. Allied to him are the keyboard warriors from outside our county who take such pleasure in our misfortune. They never miss the opportunity to have a go at our players some even rejoicing in our injuries etc . Some of these idiots are merely looking for a reaction so in truth I suppose I shouldn’t get worked up by them. For me what is more distasteful is the abuse from within our own county. I’m talking abuse, not criticism. No issue with criticism. Our performance in the AI Final merited criticism. What it did not merit was the disgusting personal attacks on people who have done more for football in the county than those faceless abusers would do in a life time. Sure we were all desperately disappointed. So so called fans made idiots of themselves by thinking that all we had to do was turn up to receive Sam. That tells something about their knowledge. We haven’t won the bloody thing for 70 years yet were exuding arrogance about beating Tyrone of all teams.So their ire must be turned on someone. First stop the manager. The guy who took us over when we were a laughing stock and made us a feared and respected team. The guy people were gushing praise about we we beat Dublin. Then let’s pick on a few players. Aido for example. The guy who is utterly selflees and disciplined on the pitch , who has played a colossal amout of consecutive games for Mayo under a whole host of different managers. I could go on but what is the point. We lost again. We suffer the most terrible psychological baggage. But we do not have the right to hurl abuse at amateur sportsmen who put their lives on hold to represent the county. The pity is that we didn’t lose to Dublin by a point and then people might say we had a good year. Instead the bloodletting has started, the scapegoats are sought and the county which prides itself on having the greatest supporters of all time finds that certain supporters are only great when we win but are rabid when we lose. Once again I am not criticising those who are disappointed or question game plans tactics and so on. That is perfectly understandable and acceptable. It’s the abusers that sicken me, the guys who will jump on the bandwagon next time round again and behave in the same manner if the result is wrong. Finally I want to express my gratitude to you WJ for providing us with a site where genuinely passionate Mayo followers can air their views and where the haters and abusers get short shrift.
@To win just once.. well said.. One certain pundit writes for one certain publication… He has crossed lines to a new low on several occasions, and it’s not just with certain Mayo players, he has done it to others in other counties as well, although Mayo he’s in hyperdrive, a Mayo’s flaw’s never seems to be far from his mind
and for years now he has also elevated one certain team and all its players to virtual superhuman if not indeed sainthood, and everything connected with them, despite how obsvious the unfair advantages conferred on them are and were to being above his critical analysis,.. It’s been going on for years now.. His recent vile abuse written on a Sunday newspaper, to my mind seems, close to an encitment to hatred, but I am no expert in that department..In general I wouldn’t put any Pundit even ex Mayo player/pundits on any pedestal especially if they are being paid from the public purse, they have a duty to be fair and objective and sometimes critical of the team, selection performance, management, players or referees.. or indeed praise them as the occasion demands… In Liverpool following scurrilous allegations from one particular publication about the tragic loss of life at Hillsborough in 1989, the people of Merseyside decided to do something, and in particular the supporters of Liverpool, Everton and Tranmere decided to boycott that certain publication, you couldn’t buy a certain newspaper in the City of Liverpool nowadays, .. But while our County Board is now rightly condemning online abuse of players and management, the question has to be asked, why did the Mayo County Board put this particular GAA pundit on a pedestal themselves a few years ago?.. Did they not know how toxic and damaging to Mayo he was back then?… Furthermore you are indeed right, in your gratitude to WJ and the Mayo GAA Blog, it must be a full time job to moderate this Blog.. and provide a platform for reasoned debate..
The Western People is well worth reading today. Anthony Hennigan is excellent and has a really good analysis. Also John Cuffe’s article spot on.
Scumdogs on social media abusing players and management are not supporters.
Criticism is legitimate though. Intercounty football is officially considered “elite”, so fair criticism is not only fine, it’s healthy. It’s constructive.
Can I put out this one question.
After so many years in management has the Mayo manager learned nothing, he is the current most experienced man in his capacity in the Country.
Has nothing been picked up from all the finals ?
@Mayo88 what makes it hard to swallow is that the Tyrone management had 9 months experience.
I’m still so so disappointed with the flop of a performance that I’m finding it difficult to analyse.
On a slightly separate note, I believe Andy Moran should forget about outside counties. He should be brought in to take one of the underage teams. Do what Mickey Harte did. Give him underage for a number if years…bring through players. Teenage Mayo footballers would be inspired so much by him. He appears tactically aware and clued in. He is also connected and generally popular so would be a good leader.
This idea that you’ve to ‘cut your teeth’ elsewhere is rubbish. Harte didn’t. Gavin didn’t. Dooher didnt. Fitzmaurice didn’t! Moran going to another county is bad for Mayo. And the same applies for Rochford. Moffatt, his fellow clubman should be doing whatever he can to entice Stephen back to some role in Mayo football. Start with getting some winning underage teens be ayse let’s be frank, our underage results the past 10 years have been absolutely shite. And anyone who thinks we can continue to compete at the top without producing relatively successful underage teams is in cuckoo land.
I bought a tile and am a season ticket holder, didn’t get any email yet. how do they link the two I wonder? Based on email address?
Horan has now lost six All Ireland Finals, two as a player, four as a Manager. He has a great talent of finding good players and getting some great results up to the final, perhaps its time he picked panel and team and got them prepared and ready for battle and then on game day hand over running of team on the day to the likes of Ciaran McDonald , who appears to have no problems with taking off a player who is not performing on the day, a thing that Horan seems unwilling to do and only brings on subs with a few minutes to go when its too late to affect the result.
I bought a tile as well and didnt get any email.
I wonder does the free pass for Mayo gaa tv only apply to Cairde Maigheo season ticket holders. I have the Croke park season ticket which didn’t give me access to club championship games in Mayo.
Culmore C Mac has lost 3 as a player and 2 as a selector.So what’s your point.mayo missed 4 .11 the last day and the players have to take responsibility for that,who is our kicking coach don’t think it’s Horan.
@ culnore. James Horan scored some fantastic points in those finals. Certainly not his fault we lost either of them. He showed up as a player on AI final day.
We had plenty of chances to win on Saturday week but we just didn’t execute.
We can debate some of the positional decisions or even the substitutions, but the fact still remains, we should have still won that game on the 11th. We squandered scoreable chance after scoreable chance.
I wouldn’t be laying all the blame at James Horans feet. He is the manager, but like it or not he did have us in a winnable position. We just didn’t execute on our score taking.
A previous poster had pointed out that James Carr carried some kind on injury the week leading up to the game so I could excuse not seeing him in earlier.
Darren Coen was brought on with 10 or 15 minutes to go.
Hession was in early. Jordan was also brought in.
Some say Colm Boyle should have been brought in. Not sure how well he was training but maybe.
Everyone is disappointed that we didn’t win but in all honesty, I’m not sure if there was an awful lot more James could have done.
I know you point out it’s 4 finals lost but it’s still a fair accomplishment to have reached these 4 finals.
@ To win just once, really well put.
When I glanced at the match programme before the game my heart sank. If I had a spare £1k and a bookmaker close by I would have put it all on Tyrone. The lack of experience on the team and the bench for a final fell well short of what was required. I could not see where the bench would give us a gamechanger if we were in trouble. I know we were unlucky with injuries but we have a 40+ panel and great opportunity for players to step up.
Need to develop young players that can play as forwards and as a unit, this was lacking in the final and has been missing for somtime.
JH has done a brilliant job with Mayo and we continue to dine at the top table but need to have a b and c plan so the opposition canot read our game and lay traps accordingly.
Finally let us salute our fine players that gives up so much of their time and give us real supporters so much enjoyment and hope. MAYO fo rever
@Line ball,had you not heard about all the retirees in the previous months or what “experience” had you been expecting to see on the team or on the bench that wasn’t there???
Talking of managers anyone remember a guy called Benson, I think from Swinford that managed Mayo in the late seventies. He wanted towels laid on for the players to use after training and all thought he was a head case
Talking of horan I don’t think he started the 1997 Final after starring in 1996.
96 was the best display of free taking from both sides I ever saw in a final.
Line Ball, we’re you at the semi final? All those subs were brilliant against Dublin. James Carr missed two chances, but most people felt he helped open up Dublin.
@to win just once, there’s only one way to shut these people up and it’s to win finals we should be winning because it’s clear there are no adequate controls and people are just allowed to say what they want.
I look at it from a slightly different angle as well, it tells me we have an incredible amount of pure bad b******s in society, in every city, town and village and from every walk of life.
There has to be something innately bad about these people to begin with or is it possible many are fueled by alcohol and class A drugs or is it a mixture of both ?
While all abuse should be condemned we also have to be wary of the fact that the condemnation should never be used as a tool to deflect reasonable criticism or as a smokescreen.
Anyways back to the game and why we lost it.
It’s my firm belief that Mayo did not arrive at the final with every box ticked on how to maximize our chances of winning and I’m not blaming any individual because we do not have a qualified individual appointed by the County Board, an individual between themselves and the team manager, who understands every aspect of how to maximize a teams and their managers chances, and remember Mayo is a special case at this stage, we must go much further than others.
If you turn up at Croke Park and you have ticked all of the boxes and you are still beaten then whoever beats you will have earned it and that’s for sure.
It’s surprising how things fall into place when you control the controllable aspects, pre and during the game.
But if you arrive and have not maxed out on preparation then you must expect heavy criticism and rightly so because it shows that the set up is either unable or unwilling to learn anything.
To make the indictment even more damning is the fact we have played Dublin so many times in the last decade and have appeared to have learned absolutely nothing on how to run an operation professionally.
Of course we do many things right but it might scare you when you look at what our top attribute is, and how other so called smaller counties are creeping up on us, think about that for a minute.
I would love to meet Liam Moffat one day for a little chat.
I expect the answer will be, “we cannot afford what you are suggesting”.
Do people realize how much money we are actually losing out on at the moment ?
I’m concerned that we have reached a ceiling without actually realizing it’s a false one and the real one is hidden above it.
Mayo can win an All-Ireland, in fact we can win multiple All-Irelands, but we wont if we continue on this road.
So right now, we deserve absolutely nothing apart from the criticism we are getting for losing All-Irelands we should be winning.
We are making hard work of an easy job, too many people bigging it up when at the end of the day it’s about winning a football match.
Have to agree with you there Mayonaze. I’ve always had the feeling that – for whatever reason – Mayo footballing-people don’t seem able to come together for the common good, to collectively try to figure out how to put this thing to rest.
Contrast this to the likes of Kerry, Dublin, and indeed Tyrone. For them, only one thing matters: All Ireland success for their home counties. It radiates off the likes of Sean Cavanagh, Tomás O’Sé and Jim Mcguinness. Unfortunately I’m not so sure we have this same collective will. They tend to ‘pull together’ far more than us. But, individually we have great football people who, if they put their minds together, could figure out how to get to the ‘other side’, or at least try to learn from each other.
Maybe our biggest problem in mayo is over thinking everything.players, management,and supporters.Could definitely see it with our support play and our shot taking.i think it’s vital we keep the 40 plus panel it takes a few years to get players ready for intercounty some make it some don’t.If it was me I would have brought back McEntee this year but Sligo have him.Met him at the all ireland and he has such passion for mayo football it surprised me.He is with Sligo now so that ship has sailed.Still think we have plenty of room for improvement and can learn a lot from this year and give us a great chance next year.
Revellino . I agree with the points you have made. Mayo fans are very disappointed with final result but maybe we over achieved this last year or two. Between injuries and retirements we have lost so many players many with All Stars . Retired: Clarke, Barrett, Cafferkey, Higgins, Vaughan, S O Shea. Parsons, Moran , Drake. Regan plus one or two more . Injured : Harrison, Doherty, C O Connor, Carr, O McLoughlin, McDonagh. Mullen returning from injury plus a few more. Cillian O Connor was a massive loss. I cant remember him ever missing a penalty . Overall Ryan O’Donoghue was very good
The penalty was struck for the top right hand corner by a right footed player , if he hits the target it’s going in , its 100 % if accurate according to stats I read after the game . It’s a high risk high reward penalty option. Right hand bottom corner from a right foot is around 85% , again obviously if on target .
@Sean Burke, I think what scuppered him was trying a shimmy technique and Morgan not buying it, top corner nearly impossible to save but too risky.
Hitting the woodwork was more damaging than Morgan making a great save.
The (XG) was about .75 , in other words he would score 3 out of every 4 on average, unfortunately that one wasn’t to be.
The schimmy didnt help ,cause he didnt use it, ie watch the keeper then go the other way , that’s the way john Aldridge used to do it anyway lol . Anyway I wouldnt hold missing a penalty against anyone , it happens . Hes a courageous footballer/personality ,it wont affect him I’m hoping as he has some great years ahead of him . Very likable footballer ,honest endeavor about him and tough as nails to boot .
Looking forward to the Club championship beginning tomorrow. Breaffy vs The Neale on tg4 on Sunday at 2. I worry for the South Mayo side. We played them a few weeks back in the league and they persisted on working the ball out from their own 14. Unable to get by their own 45 before being turned over. Most scores came from being turned over from short kick outs. Our lads let them win them short turned them over. Long to the wings and try win as win as much as possible. Less chance in conceding and more chance of scoring. I watched Breaffy vs Westport last week. They are huge men. They seem well primed this year and have developed an excellent squad even out of all there county lads. I feel it could be a long day for The Neale.