Memo to the County Board – Keep off the Grass

[Doon Massive]

So basically what we are saying is that if we build it, they may not come?

[Lone Shark]

Just to rehash an old topic here, last night Kildare announced plans to sell off St. Conleth's Park in Newbridge and to build a new 25,000 seater stadium on the Naas side of the town based on the Liberty Stadium in Swansea. Due to the location of the existing pitch, they should be able to finance it with the revenue from that.

So if this goes ahead we'll then have 7 grounds in Leinster with a capacity of 20,000 plus, not including Tullamore. Neither does it include Mullingar who have plans of their own to sell Dunnes Stores pack and build a much bigger Tesco Field or something out in the suburbs. Nor does it include Parnell Park or Pearse Park, both nice grounds and well suited to crowds of 10,000 or so.

Is this ever going to stop? I'm sorry, but I just can't agree with spending more money we don't have on terracing O'Connor Park in this environment. Floodlights maybe, concrete terracing no.

[Bord na Mona man]

Firstly the proposed stadium in Kildare will 5,000 seats with the rest being terraced. Nothing really outrageous compared to your typical county ground. However with the cash they have, I'm sure visually and facility wise it will be top notch.

Tullamore needs more upgrading. In my view, that is without question. While the safety officers have slapped a limit of 2,000 on the standing areas, we can forget about hosting Offaly championship home games. Now that the stand has been completed, there is no other option but to upgrade the rest of the ground. However the scale of any next phase of the development should be carefully costed.

Whether it's just an idealogical thing, I would be very much against Offaly going cap in hand and playing our "home" games in Portlaoise. I wouldn't like us to be the Shamrock Rovers of the GAA.

[Lone Shark]

Whether it's just an idealogical thing, I would be very much against Offaly going cap in hand and playing our "home" games in Portlaoise. I wouldn't like us to be the Shamrock Rovers of the GAA.

Bearing in mind that we could terrace the whole of Arden View and it still wouldn't be enough to house a home championship fixture with the Dubs, and that Leinster football semis and hurling finals will be in Croke Park for the foreseeable future (they wouldn't be home games anyway) how many potential championship ties do you realistically think 10,000 wouldn't be enough for? Home against Kildare maybe. Maybe a replay against Laois or Meath if there was a good drawn game beforehand. Possibly a hurling semi with Wexford if we ever emerge from our current slump. Otherwise no chance.

If we had to do something, how about a covered concrete terrace down on the east end of the ground? Open a seperate turnstile down there, put your toilets and shop at the end of it, and you still keep the integrity and simplicity of the grass hill. Adds maybe 2000 more, which is more than enough.

[Bord na Mona man]

Longford got the go-ahead to host Dublin this year with an 18,000 capacity. We're at home for the next game against Leix and Wastemeath as part of the home and away arrangements. We won't get any of those games with the current 10,000 (approx) capacity.

There was no point in building the current stand if it isn't going to be matched by a capacity increase from the terracing. If we were going to self impose a capacity limit of 10-12,000, then the town side development should have consisted of a 1,500 or 2,000 seater covered stand surrounded by 6,000 capacity concrete terracing.

The only other parallel would this scenario would be Louth. The capacity of Drogheda is insufficient, so they have to play all their significant "home" games in Navan.
Maybe it's matter of pride, but I wouldn't like Offaly to be begging our neighbours for the loan of their ground whenever a big game comes along.

[Lone Shark]

I would say that right now 10,000 would be as near to looking after the crowd for either of those games as makes no difference. Covered terracing one end would certainly make it enough. Much and all as I'd like to believe we'd need 20,000 for either of those games I can't have it as the case.

I certainly do believe there is a logic to the current setup, even with 12,000 capacity. The stand we have is fantastic - it puts us in a strong position to get games with crowds of between 2,000 and 10,000, which are after all pretty common relative to games that need 20,000 plus.

Even if there was - and this is the top side of the limit - one game a year that we miss out on due to having a capacity of 12,000 as opposed to 20,000, that still for me is a fair trade off for having a ground that is liked by the home support and family friendly all year long.

In all this I wouldn't like to lose sight of the kids issue either. The kids spilling onto the pitch at half time is unique to Offaly for some reason, and I think it's fantastic. This is facilitated because kids can be brought to the terrace in Tullamore (or Birr) and let run around because if they fall over on grass, it's no problem. 5 year olds don't understand what's going on in big games, they just want to run around the place, and destroyingtheir playground, as it were, is not something I would do lightly.

(Can't be too long now till someone posts up a picture of Helen Lovejoy and a "Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children tagline.....)

[Bord na Mona man]

The most recent attendances at Offaly vs Leix games outside of Croke Park:

2003 Portlaoise 12,000
2003 Tullamore 15,000
2006 Portlaoise 16,800

Limiting Tullamore to a 10,000 capacity, would cause us to (deservedly) not get these games ever again, or else cause hassle for everyone trying to get tickets. That's neither supporter friendly, nor family friendly.

[The Border Fox]

I am fully in agreement with upgrading O'Connor Park. Look at what we had 2 years ago...Dark Ages comes to mind. Previous posts have mentioned Portlaoise,Mullingar,Kildare,Wexford Park with excellent facilities or plans for same. My concern is if we don't upgrade we will be left behind these other counties and despite the historical end of things regarding the Hill, I would rather 1/ we were in a position to accomodate large crowds and 2/ our grassy banks would no longer be a reason for other visiting counties to snigger and laugh at which I have numerously experienced. In the back of my mind I fear that our Senior hurlers and footballers could get left behind if we don't grab hold of and maintain what's required to be successful in these almost professional sports so I'd hate to see our facilities 'left behind' the powers we are competing against.

[turk]

Agree fully - it would be ludicrous to not finish off the O'Connor park development fully - it would be as ridiculous a decision as ripping up all the trainlines that time.

[Lone Shark]

The crowds issue is a concern, but my gut feeling is I would prefer to terrace over one end, bring the ground up to around 12,000, and leave as much of the grass hill as possible. However I do respect the other position that we may lose out on one game a year, even if it is a lot of fundraising to be done for that one game.

Clearly there is no right and wrong on this. (I would say that as the majority rails against me though!!)

On the other hand, if visitors want to sneer because they have to stand on some grass, then let them. I love stretching out on it, and I remember going to three successive minor games against Dublin in Birr where I met the same two middle aged gentlemen from Ballyboden who came down with deckchairs and thoroughly loved coming to Birr for that reason. Not really applicable for a league game in February I'll grant you, but it does show there are two sides to every story.

The point about the ground having an effect on the team is ridiculous though. The worst county ground in Ireland is generally considered to be Crossmaglen in Armagh - right now I'd say most Offaly people would love to see either our footballers or hurlers match the consistent achievement of those lads. Now if we were talking about training facilities/gym etc that would be different.

[Plain of the Herbs]

Two things, both unrelated.

1. The county board will have to look to give value to those organisations who have bought long term ticket packages. From this point of view it is clear they will look to completing the development, rightly or wrongly.

2. Regarding the Newbridge sale- while we know the Tullamore club are tied in with the lease to the County board, it appears the way would still be clear for the Birr club to sell the St. Brendan's Park land to (a) developer(s). That would be valuable land given its proximity to the town centre.

[Lone Shark]

I'd say Birr might have difficulty in doing that, or to be more accurate, developers might have some difficulty doing anything with it. I'm aware it's not exactly the same field as the first All Ireland final was played on, but ithere is overlap with "White's Field" is there not?

You would imagine that some form of state protection/listed status might apply here, though again I have no facts to base this on.

Birr is still along way from having the same value as a town centre though - I'd say if they got a quarter of the value of Conleth's they'd be doing okay.

[Bord na Mona man]

I think there wouldn't be any restriction on the Birr ground being sold, despite it's history.
My guess is at most, only some (if any) of the current pitch would cover the original site. Loughers remembers where the old field was! I wouldn't be overly familiar with the geography of the area surrounding the ground.

http://www.uibhfhaili.com/articles/view ... .php?id=55

Kildare's status as a Dublin suburb ensures a bonanza sale price. Mullingar the same. At the moment Birr property just doesn't have the same value. Unless there is an influx of decentralised Fás workers, then I think the town will expand slowly. The best bet would probably be to sit on the property for another while.

[Lone Shark]

Mullingar joins the rush to put in a new stadium.

Taken from Hogan Stand....

Westmeath stadium plan gets go-ahead
06 December 2006


Westmeath GAA has been given the green light to sell their county headquarters Cusack Park and replace it with a new 26,000 all-seater stadium on the outskirts of Mullingar.

Westmeath chairman Seamus Whelan confirmed the proposal to sell Cusack Park – believed to be worth over €30 million – was given the go-ahead by the county’s clubs at a meeting last Thursday.

Developers are to provide the board with a new stadium in Robinstown on the Castlepollard Road in exchange for Cusack Park, which is located in the centre of Mullingar. The project would incorporate two full-size training pitches, both of which would be floodlit with a synthetic, sand-based surface.

“We have met with the clubs and received their full backing,” Whelan said.

“A number of developers have expressed an interest in Cusack Park and our message has been the same, that it’s not for sale. We would have to be convinced to move.

“We would require the greatest of facilities, including a state-of-the-art stadium, gymnasium and an administration block. A number of all-weather training pitches would be required also. We are exploring the possibility with developers and will report back to our Management Committee, and if we have a recommendation for the clubs, we will make it to them.”

Cusack Park, which underwent a major redevelopment 10 years ago, has been the home of Westmeath GAA since 1933 and is renowned as the venue where legendary commentator Micheal O’Hehir made his first broadcast from.

[Lone Shark]

Only two days ago I was being compared to a dog with a bone, and now this .....


I know the ship has sailed on this whole debate in that planning is underway, funding has been largely secured and the whole process is now in motion. However I thought the decision from the Ulster Council regarding this year's quarter final between Donegal and Armagh was instructive. Donegal were drawn at home, and were set to host it in the revamped McCumhaill Park, with it's capacity of 21,500 - but no more, as the game has been moved to Clones.

I would be extremely concerned that we are building a white elephant here. If even home championship games get moved when there is a slight fear it migth exceed capacity, who's to say that a home championship game against Kildare or Meath wouldn't get moved to Croke Park anyway? Right now as things stand we are building this for home Leinster quarter finals against Laois or Westmeath only. That's really not a good enough reason to my mind. Time will tell I suppose though.