GAA Infastructure

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120873446#Comment_120873446

Not sure of the budget here but in the current climate that would be about €100m or higher.They haven't a hope of raising that,Croke Park won't fund anything near that.They are dreaming.

They need to refubish main stand and maybe a nice seated stand or open terrace at the West end.

event

The Louth stadium is an absolute shambles. Some seriously dodgy stuff going on with it.

HQ will want it built in stages before they commit to making up the shortfall and they are right. Louth does need a new stadium, this talk of sharing with Dundalk, Drogheda or redeveloping the old pitch are pie in the sky. But the location of it again is wrong, going to cause serious issues down the line

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120873603#Comment_120873603

I was thinking the same. Cork have a 2 tier stand so we have to have one.

This being Kerry I wonder if certain TDs with lots of friends and family in the construction trade are involved. Go down the well used route of getting the state or in this case the GAA also to give your buddies some jobs.

roadmaster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120873743#Comment_120873743

Yeah the Tender Price seamed very good Compared to Newbridge. The location is the issue the traffic on the ringroad and parking?

If they had a site in Ardee just outside the Town on the N33 it would have being ideal and probably would keep the southern end of the county happier

event

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120873773#Comment_120873773

And the man who won the tender is on the Louth County Board Committee, Ganson.

The site regularly floods. So its going to take substantial work to fill it in. Then the traffic (once they build the houses on that road) is going to be hellish.

The best location would have been Dunleer. Smack bang middle of the county, 20 mins from Dundalk, 15 mins from Drogheda, right beside the M1.

Build it on the Collon road or build it at the start of the Ardee Link road. Loads of parking. But they wanted it in either Dundalk or Drogheda. Madness

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120873792#Comment_120873792

It's madness not to put it in Dundalk or Drogheda. Why would you put it in a little village with no train station next to the M1 when you can put it next to the M1 in a much better serviced town.

It's only a Wee county so it's not really important to have the stadium that central.

roadmaster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120873844#Comment_120873844

I think its more an emotional issue for Louth People in that its Dundalk V Drogheda.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120873446#Comment_120873446

It is much more important that Louth and Meath have a proper stadium less than half this size than this kind of further development in Killarney. With the possible exception of a Limerick v Cork hurling game, Killarney will not attract neutral games, and even then such a game would likely go to Thurles. An improved Dundalk or Navan would be useful as a neutral venue, for instance you could have a good crowd at Armagh v Kildare.

event

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120873844#Comment_120873844

Fair point on the train station. But the location its set at in Dundalk isnt even close to the train station, well you aint gonna walk to it. Going to have to get taxis cos no bus either, so I wouldnt use that as a reason. I've no bother with it being in Dundalk, but its a real issue with some GAA fans from the south of the county. And if it was put in Drogheda, it would have been an issue with fans in the north of the county. Dunleer or anywhere middle of the county would have kept them all quiet really.

And not to be pedantic, Dunleer isnt a village any more, its a town with about 6k residents 😉

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120874148#Comment_120874148

Limerick vs Cork is always on a home and away basis so that's not an option.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120874193#Comment_120874193

In this day and age, with the green party in power, why could there not be a bus if there was an event at the stadium? There won't be a bus to Dunleer either.

event

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120874367#Comment_120874367

There is no reason why there couldnt be. But this is Ireland. There wont be. Who will pay for it etc etc.

We've been playing all our games this year in Ardee with no moaning about location really, so I dont think the train issue is as big a deal as some of ye think. But regardless of all this, its in Dundalk.

I hope they can get it all sorted out and Croker will agree to contribute in stages. Lets just hope the clubs arent left paying for it the way they still are for Darver

breezy1985

You could get a bus half way from the station but it means about 10 minutes walking either side of the ride.

As for who would pay for a shuttle bus that would definitely be Louth GAA unless some private operator want do do it because they think it's profitable.

TFI certainly are not going to run a bus just for these events.

namloc1980

Madness down in Kerry for what, 1 or 2 games a year. 1 home game in the All Ireland series and that just happened to be Mayo this year. Another year it could be a much less attractive fixture.

And a game every 2 years against Cork (maybe) and that hasn't been competitive or attractive in many years.

Crazy

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120875273#Comment_120875273

This is what the GAA has come to. A load of clueless officials trying to outdo the neighbour with frivilous pie in the sky infrastructure and standing idly by whilst the games die on their feet. We can't even get two full stadiums for the semi finals with novel pairings in football and they keep insisting on building this crap. Kids are choosing soccer and Rugby in their droves and instead of putting a decent amount of coaches into schools and clubs they invest millions into blackholes.

namloc1980

No clear centralised infrastructure plan leaves everyone doing their own thing and we end up with sub standard facilities all over the place.

breezy1985

Die on their feet 🤣🤣🤣

We have been hearing that "GAA is at deaths door" sht for 100 years.

It's really not considered normal for 2 teams with a combined catchment of about 350k to sell out 82000 seats.

There is a nice little documentary made down in Cork in the 90's and features a schoolboy Sean Og. Also features a coach telling us how the GAA is in danger from the tennis.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120873446#Comment_120873446

I'm from Kerry and think it's over the top.

It needs an upgrade but not this much.

Redevelop scoreboard end, toilets, access to terrace - maybe get some land from St Finians for an access road and new toilets. Improve seats in the stand etc. Dressing rooms might need an upgrade.

That's about it. It only has one or two big games a year at most. If league games were held there, it would be more justifiable.

I prefer the money to be spent on the Center of Excellence, coaching coaches, coaching teachers, club facilities, grassroots, summer camps etc.

The most important goals are participation, fan experience, player welfare, winning AIs.

I think they'll struggle to attract big artists for concerts. PUC has no concerts this year. The event center is finally get built, also theres Live at The Marquee, Gleneagle , Musgrave Park all hosting concerts.

rpurfield

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120876260#Comment_120876260

Can't speak for every county but I know in Meath there are more games and more teams in the club scene than ever before. One club fielded 5 adult teams this year, a new club has started up and there is plenty of other clubs fielding more than two adult teams. My own club has at least two teams from under 13 up to minor at each age grade, we've three pitches and are still tight for space as we've a ladies section, hurling and recently started a camoige section. Loads of clubs catering for Gaelic for Mothers and others and Dads and Lads. A couple of clubs in Meath are also doing teams and stuff for people with additional needs. Dying on its feet is so far wide of the mark its laughable to be fair.

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120886589#Comment_120886589

Yes, in catchment areas of the big cities its growing but clubs up and down the country are amalgamating in order to even field.

And the general feeling towards the games, especially gaelic football, is that the product is not what it was. The entertainment value is low and alot of players don't enjoy playing at high levels because its all systems and very little individualism or attacking football encouraged.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120887132#Comment_120887132

Thats rural depopulation not any signifier of the game.

threeball

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120888101#Comment_120888101

Partially but I know plenty of clubs with more than enough kids in their catchment area to field a number of teams but the kids are choosing soccer and rugby instead, so are struggling to field one. Ignore it if you like but it's happening.

namloc1980

Euro 2028 bid looks like it's unopposed. Casement Park is part of the bid. Would want to get cracking if it's to be built in time.

https://news.sky.com/story/uk-and-irelands-bid-to-host-euro-2028-set-to-be-unopposed-12929140

roadmaster

The Big Question now will be will the British put there hand in the pocket to pay or which i think they might do since the UEFA have no one else to bid turn around and say Fu@k the north why are we wasting money there when we can use a English soccer ground and maybe get some votes there.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120908413#Comment_120908413

Definitely the latter.

Ask most English voters and they would be baffled as to why Westminster would pay for a stadium in a "foreign country". All just Paddy's to them.

And why would any MPs lobby the English dominated Westminster to get a game in Belfast when they can be the MP who lobbied to get it in their city.

Pete_Cavan

Not actually having a winning bid, or more accurately the bid having won by default, makes it a lot easier to drop Casement (or any stadium). I suspect there was always a good chance that circumstances would dictate that Casement gets dropped from the final list of actual stadiums to be used, now it is much easier politically for that to happen.

With the tournament in the bag and nobody being able to claim that Casement and the 5 union element of the bid being integral to being awarded the tournament, I'd say it has become much harder to get the £120m or whatever is needed out of the British government.

roadmaster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120908473#Comment_120908473

Yip i would say no euros in the north. Could Uefa change there rules to allow croke park to be used also?

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910964#Comment_120910964

There is no rule stopping Croke Park from being used, it just wasn't selected as a venue in the bid.

As for dropping Casement and NI altogether, that won't be easy politically.

Let's be honest about it, this is essential a "British" bid

Not including NI while including a foreign country in a "British" bid will not go down well with the unionists community in NI who already feel they are being isolated from and by the rest of the UK.

roadmaster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120910994#Comment_120910994

I believe Uefa have a rule that only one city can host 2 stadiums.

Fr Tod Umptious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120911057#Comment_120911057

It's not so much of a rule but more of a recommendation.

For major tournaments bids that are more spread out across multiple cities/regions have a better chance than those that concentrate all venues in a few cities.

It was one of the reasons cited when the Ireland/Scotland Euro 2008 bid failed. They had three in Glasgow, two in Edinburgh and two in Dublin.

Of course FIFA's selection of Qatar for 2022 made a mockery of all this.