Pearse stadium what a joke

patmac

What a great win for Westmeath what a nightmare getting there. We arrived just outside Oranmore at 6.15pm and arrived in Salthill at 7.15pm. Some questions: who were the brightsparks who organised the game to go ahead at 7pm on one of the busiest weekends in Galway? Why was a stadium built in Salthill so that everybody has to drive through the city to get there when they could have built it in Oranmore or Tuam? Why was the kick off not delayed for 15 minutes? How much money did the GAA lose as at least 4000 people were let in free of charge? The game should have been played at a neutral venue I missed the first 20 minutes some people missed the first half completly, you'd think after 6 years that they'd get this qualifying crack right.
The words pisss up and brewery spring to mind.

tred

patmac wrote:

What a great win for Westmeath what a nightmare getting there. We arrived just outside Oranmore at 6.15pm and arrived in Salthill at 7.15pm. Some questions: who were the brightsparks who organised the game to go ahead at 7pm on one of the busiest weekends in Galway? Why was a stadium built in Salthill so that everybody has to drive through the city to get there when they could have built it in Oranmore or Tuam? Why was the kick off not delayed for 15 minutes? How much money did the GAA lose as at least 4000 people were let in free of charge? The game should have been played at a neutral venue I missed the first 20 minutes some people missed the first half completly, you'd think after 6 years that they'd get this qualifying crack right.
The words pisss up and brewery spring to mind.

you would often wonder wouldnt you. I am not sure about Tuam. It used to be bedlam in around there as well at times. But i tink the should have built it like u said on the outskirts near oranmore. but then the conemara people wouldnt be happy. Fair play to westmeath. but that galway performance was a disgrace..

Salmon

At least you got to see some of the 1st half!! I arrived in Oranmore @6:15 and came in by the hedford rd side and didnt get parking until 7:30. Just entered the stadium as the ball was being thrown in for the second half. Didnt calm down till the match was over! Oh well at least we won, the commentator for galway bay fm was about 25 mins delayed in traffic too!! Absolutely discraceful from the gaa, If it was in croker the match wouldve been delayed to allow the dubs to finish their pints!

patmac

Salmon wrote:

Absolutely discraceful from the gaa, If it was in croker the match wouldve been delayed to allow the dubs to finish their pints!

Too true but I think they were worried about extra time and playing in the dark. Could you imagine if Galway had equalised and gone on to win in extra time you'd be fit to kill.
Also a lot of people are criticising Galway because they lost to Westmeath but no-one seems to be giving us any credit, 3rd All-Ireland Quarter-Final in 6 years a bit of respect should be given.

hiscan

Salmon wrote:

At least you got to see some of the 1st half!! I arrived in Oranmore @6:15 and came in by the hedford rd side and didnt get parking until 7:30. Just entered the stadium as the ball was being thrown in for the second half. Didnt calm down till the match was over! Oh well at least we won, the commentator for galway bay fm was about 25 mins delayed in traffic too!! Absolutely discraceful from the gaa, If it was in croker the match wouldve been delayed to allow the dubs to finish their pints!

ollie turner from galway bay was at a wedding that day hence the delay although im sure the traffic didnt help

it was my first time in pearse stadium since galway started playing their home games there and i wont be going back in a hurry i left dunmore @ 6 (25 miles away) and i didnt get to the match until 7.30 i was charged 10 euro to get in (half price) and i had just sat down and they opened the gates and started letting everybody in free:o

after the match it took me over anhour to travel a few hundred yards i ended up parking up and going for some dinner in a seriously packed restaraunt i didnt get home until after 12 o clock
i never had these problems when the matches were held in tuam maybe they might move back there again when tuam stadium is done up i dont think we will have much to shout about in galway football for the next few years anyway

great to get that off my chest:p

Amazotheamazing

It's a bizarre spot for a stadium alright, especially when you factor in how much the land is worth.

Nalced_irl

Salmon wrote:

discraceful from the gaa, If it was in croker the match wouldve been delayed to allow the dubs to finish their pints!

Come on! Pints are a good reason to delay it! I actually think its a disgrace that matches are delayed in croker for that reason. I always leave with about 15 mins to spare from the pub to the stadium on what i think it will take to get there. By the time you get into the Hill, its half empty, 5 mins after kickoff its beginningto fill, 10 mins after, its full. I think they should throw it in at the start time and screw the people who cant have 1 pint less. As for traffic, they should delay it as its out of the fans hands. I would say going through Galway this week would be a nightmare so it is pretty foolish of the GAA to have it there.

Benedict XVI

Nalced_irl wrote:

As for traffic, they should delay it as its out of the fans hands. I would say going through Galway this week would be a nightmare so it is pretty foolish of the GAA to have it there.

For those who got caught in trafic, one piece of advise, leave earlier.
Anyone traveling to Galway should be well aware that it is the height of summer and Galway is a summer town and Salthill is seaside loaction, therfore excect the worse.
I was at the Kerry game in Longford and as I was staying 40 miles from Killarney, and Killarney is a summer town, I made sure I got to Killarney and hour and a hlaf before throw in. Lots more didn't bother and the game was delayed 15 mins.

As for being foolish for playing it there, well that was luck of the draw and eveyone knew the throw in time a least a week and a half before the game.

nollaig

For those who got caught in trafic, one piece of advise, leave earlier.
Anyone traveling to Galway should be well aware that it is the height of summer and Galway is a summer town and Salthill is seaside loaction, therfore excect the worse.
I was at the Kerry game in Longford and as I was staying 40 miles from Killarney, and Killarney is a summer town, I made sure I got to Killarney and hour and a hlaf before throw in. Lots more didn't bother and the game was delayed 15 mins.

As for being foolish for playing it there, well that was luck of the draw and eveyone knew the throw in time a least a week and a half before the game.

Bollix to that, No one could have predicted the traffic chaos in Galway the last day. I left Tuam at 5.00, I got into Pearse at 6.55. Usually it'd take me around 1/2 hour - 40 minutes to get there. I then went into the stand because the queue for the terrace was too long!

It was foolish playing it there but that goes back to the old debate on why Pearse Stadium should never have been redeveloped, particularly when a much better stadium could have been built in Tuam. All the people at the time talked about traffic issues, On Saturday, they were proven right.

As for delaying the throw in, I am against i. However, It hardly seems fair that the throw in for this game wasnt delayed when you have every other game being delayed, including matcheson live tv. Not having a curtain raiser certainly added to the problem also.

kevmy

nollaig wrote:

It was foolish playing it there but that goes back to the old debate on why Pearse Stadium should never have been redeveloped, particularly when a much better stadium could have been built in Tuam. All the people at the time talked about traffic issues, On Saturday, they were proven right.

Thats very true. The stadium is not great smallish not really big enough for Connacht finals/matchs against Mayo. A slightly bigger(5,000) stadium in Tuam would have been a better idea. Was at 2005 Connacht final against Mayo it was jammed with only 29,000 at it, same for 03 match versus Mayo. Compare to McHale Park 35,000 comfortabe enough with almost none of the traffic probs. Sight lines poor too unless your in the stand.

But i suppose thats what happens when Joe McDonagh decides its a good idea while he's President of the GAA

thirdmantackle

comfortabe enough with almost none of the traffic probs

are you being serious??

some of the worst traffic jams of all time occur at games in Castlebar

it is a kip of a ground, biggest FAS scheme in the west - concrete seating is a joke