Offaly Football Championship Venues

Seán Boyle Ó Rathallaigh · Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:42 am

After reading the pieces about Mr. Corrigan and someone mentioned it's the reason Ballinagar gets alot of Championship games, this may be slightly correct however their must be some other underlying reason why this venue is consistently picked as a Senior/Intermeadiate/Junior football Championship venue, you also have a few high profile underage finals there too. The pitch is not up to scratch, Ballycumber and Edenderry play there AGAIN (3rd time in one year) in two weeks, two teams who like to play open football are being squeezed into this area of bog and expected to produce the goods.

In this day and age a central location for both teams should not be a factor in venue selection, I know the roads in Offaly have not improved in the past 100 years but the modes of transport have, this match could be played in Geashill, Gracefield, Tullamore, Mucklagh.

Certain pitches are not up to standard, Ballinagar being one and Cappincur being another. Can we begin to complie a serious list of realistic championship venues here.

I'll add mine

Tullamore
Gracefield
Geashill
Edenderry
Mucklagh
Shannonbridge
Rhode

Lone Shark · Post by **Lone Shark** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 10:10 am

Hard to argue with any of the above - I'd say Tullamore, Mucklagh, Geashill and Gracefield are the pick of the bunch. Shannonbridge is a grand surface, it just suffers for the fact that it's always contrived when games are there - you always have two teams travelling in the one direction, it's never in the middle. Into this "elite"

group I'd probably put Tubber as well - though in fairness I've never been to Tubber at a time when drainage would be a real issue.

Along with Edenderry, Bridge and Rhode I'd include Doon, Ferbane and Clara as reasonably good grounds as well. Doon is a little bit inclined to take the rain, but otherwise is very good, Ferbane's playing surface is usually spot on and the bank is great for viewing in the summer but you wouldn't want to be putting too many in the "Stand", while Clara could just do with a reasonable toilet or two, ones that you wouldn't get dysentery from. If it wasn't so bloody far out of the way for everyone, Walsh Island would be another grand spot.

Definitely I agree about Ballinagar and Capincur though. I hadn't really noticed Ballinagar being as prominent as Capincur, but for a ground so close to Tullamore it features a lot more than it needs to. I'm not convinced about the surface in Ballycumber either to be honest. I'm trying to think of others that I've missed - Ballinamere, Pullough, Ballyfore, Cloghan..... certainly no championship standard ones springing to mind. They're still all about as good as Capincur though.

Hyper · Post by **Hyper** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 10:51 am

You would have to put Croghan up there

True Red · Post by **True Red** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 11:22 am

Croghan wouldnt be good enough in my opinion.bit of a slope down the field and no shelter from the elements.
Durrow wouldnt be bad.A nice stand and the pitch is reasonable.Killurin also has a nice surface,as has Moystown.

Lone Shark · Post by **Lone Shark** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 11:35 am

Not convinced about Croghan either - granted the last time I was there I absolutely froze my nuts off due to the bitin wind and the aforementioned exposure.

Durrow is actually grand now that you say it. Tier 2 standard certainly. Killurin I'll be honest I've never been to, while you'd get some looks if you showed up in Moystown with a football ......

far from croghan hill · Tue Apr 04, 2006 11:38 am

one of the best sufaces in the county would have to be ballycommon.this is a big wide open pitch and up until about 2001, it got plenty of matches now they have just stopped using it. walsh island is a fine venue, and prob will hold quite a few games with the wet spell we've had. among the worst would be: bracknagh, kilclonfert, clonbullogue,clonmore, and daingean wouldnt be far behind.i would agree with true red that moystown is a great pitch, but prob a bit out of the way for senior football games.having played on the doon pitch i think the facilities and pitch there are top notch

The Biff · Post by **The Biff** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 11:44 am

I cant remember when I was last down at my old pitch, but I do remember (we're talking 20-30 years back here) when it went through a similar phase of getting many big games. In particular, I remember a Leinster U-16 Schools Final being played in Daingean. Seeing as it hasn't been mentioned by anyone above (Edit: I posted that before the Croghan lad added his bit), I take it that it must have "slipped" a bit since then. Either that or none of you have needed to venture that way as your teams have managed to stay in the top divisions.

far from croghan hill · Tue Apr 04, 2006 2:17 pm

the daingean pitch isnt to bad, but its just the general makeup of the place.the dressing rooms are very bad, a big auld stanley range in the middle of the room if im not mistaken, and theres seldom nets on the goals. i suppose, things have slipped there in recent years, would be nice to see them back contesting again, 15 years ago they reached the semi final of the senior champ