Connacht Team Talk Thread VI - Some like it TOH

conncussed

It's as if Connacht branch read our inquisitive minds. The Clan Stand will be demolished at the end of this season with the Sportsground at reduced capacity for the following year. New stand scheduled to open for the 25/26 season. 😁😁😁

There's a new official announcement of the "Dexcom Stadium".

https://www.connachtrugby.ie/news/connacht-rugby-and-dexcom-announce-historic-naming-rights-partnership/bp2864/

testtech05

Great news. Nuts read the article about it on the 42 aswel. I was surprised to see the irfu are not contributing any of the money towards it. I had assumed they would be involved somehow

conncussed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121637465#Comment_121637465

There may be some optics around the government funding there. Half the government funding (€10m) will be coming from the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) which probably requires that Connacht can prove that we're directly funding a minimum matching share. The audit optics may be a lot simpler if it's Connacht's money. The IRFU are authorising us to use all our CVC capital from the URC which we likely couldn't do without their approval. They will also likely be acting as a loan guarantor to get us much cheaper finance.

As always the IRFU remains a very opaque private organisation.

HBC08

A youtube fly through of the new stadium, very cool!

https://youtu.be/NEof2CB9mg0?si=0hLCQEwMmGcKZrKt

CuriousCucumber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121635513#Comment_121635513

You should tell us more about your unhappiness with the management

ionadnapokot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121637510#Comment_121637510

So we will still call it the Sportsground. Just like Lansdowne road, Musgrave, Ravenhill, Pairc Ui Chaoimh etc

And all the MUPPETS can call it the sponsor name the media are obliged to call it.

Imagine the day where you can get a pint in a glass

My definition of luxury: A terrace stand, with a bar behind serving tayto, tea and a pint in a glass.

Borders no.2

The fact that the ground capacity is being reduced to 3500-4000 for at least next season and potentially more is very worrying in terms of keeping momentum from a supporter perspective. People get out of the habit of going and find alternatives.

Especially with investment in the squad likely to be limited and an underwhelming coaching ticket we risk losing all momentum and ending up with a good facility thats half full. There was no real talk of this when the initial plan came out.

The prioritising of the high performance centre is strange. I appreciate the offices and changing rooms may need to go but it wouldnt take a lot of imagination to use the gym building for a period. We aren't a rich club. The facilities we have were only added in the last 15 years. Increasing the capacity should be priority.

Obviously alternatives are limited. Pearse Stadium isn't going to have lights by then and in Castlebar there seems to be an issue with the surface but given we need to try and keep our supporter base and Mayo GAA still have significant debts on that stadium its disappointing if we haven't investigated that alternative.

conncussed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121637859#Comment_121637859

If it's just one season at reduced capacity then it's a small price to pay. If the team perform reasonably well we'll be able to entice people back into a great new facility with a much better match experience. And it was flagged years ago when the redevelopment phases where announced.

As for the gym, we need that investment more than we need some of the extra seats. I'm going to guess that we have the most modest player facilities in the league. Every Connacht team should benefit from newer training facilities and they'll pay for themselves for years with player development.

As for the "alternatives", the conversation has been done to death on every bulletin board, Facebook page, etc. for years. The branch investigated the options thoroughly and redevelopment of the Sports ground became a very clear winner once Bord na gCann were no longer in a position of power over us.

Wegians89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121637859#Comment_121637859

I think the current crop of academy players who have already broken in or about to break into the squad will be huge for this reason. Looking at the likes of DTM, the Murray’s, Forde, the Devines, Gavin, Jennings and Barrett

CuriousCucumber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121637840#Comment_121637840

I'll call it the Dexcom. Why not? It's its name.

Similarly, I talk about the 3 Arena, and the Aviva.

Anyway, I won't be paying for a season ticket behind either try line next season. Lets see what's offered, but if I have to pause my season ticket for 18months, so be it

Borders no.2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121637991#Comment_121637991

Can you show me where it was flagged that capacity would be reduced to 3500-4000 for at a minimum a season? Not having a go just genuinely curious as didn't see anything concrete when it was announced that this would be the case. Also given how this project has progressed so far and the wording of the 42 article it'll go in 25/26 too. I'm guessing it'll be more likely the guts of two seasons which is a long time for fans to be excluded.

There's quality gym facilities everywhere these days. We have partnership arrangements with so many organisations like the Connacht Hotel etc. if needed for extra capacity in the short term.

Again I'd love to see evidence that we have investigated alternatives because if you're going to exclude supporters for a year and a bit at a minimum you owe it to them to check out all options. The branch were all about giving access to all supporters to see Connacht play when they moved the ulster game to the Aviva but that seems to have gone down their list of priorities now.

Strand1970

Contractor selected and there will be penalty clauses for delivering the project late. I would be confident it would be delivered in time for the start of that season. Even on reduced capacity. Wonder what connacht got per season for the naming rights. Great news as it effectively free money. Thomond park should have done this years ago

conncussed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121638218#Comment_121638218

I actually misinterpreted you original post. I see now that you mean alternative arrangements for the redevelopment season. I'm going to guess that it would be too expensive and very awkward, not to mention not using our 4G pitch for an entire season. No one outside the branch will have the figures to prove that.

If you search for the original 2018 news articles about the redevelopment many will mention the in situ redevelopment. Personally, I remember Willie Ruane being asked about it a couple of interviews that I'll never be able to dig up.

I'd expect this all to be cleared up prior to the season ticket renewals.

Zeugnis

Leftfield idea here, but maybe Connacht should look at the possibility of organising large offsite fan viewing spaces during the period of reduced capacity at the ground. Add some additional attractions like activities for kids, interviews with squad members, maintain the sense of home games being an occasion. I believe Leinster have been doing some of this in the RDS for their home games recently.

Strand1970

Come to arrangement with URC that home games for that season where possible played during daylight hours. Pearse stadium could then be used.

Strand1970

Play Welsh and Italian teams at home under lights as those games with a capacity of 4k would be enough

cson

I must have missed where they're redeveloping the dog track stand - is it just an extension of the existing one either side?

Mr Tickle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121639765#Comment_121639765

From the renders and what I've heard, it seems like they're raising the height of the first few rows so that no one has their feet below pitch level anymore. That probably loses them some capacity from the existing length, but the extensions will more than make up for it and everyone will have a better view.

ElisaAtWar

Nice to see many familiar faces back in the Dexcom Stadium tonight. What did ever happen to Niyi. I know he went to Bristol. And it's a shame not to welcome Jake Heenan back to Galway. Always had huge time for him

HBC08

Are they tidying up the terraces behind the goals or is anything happening there?

Hard to know from vids and the pics I've seen from the last few years.

Strand1970

Brand new stand with a capacity around 7k but that's from memory so it could be a bit less, clan stand going to be leveked st end if this season

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121640493#Comment_121640493

Heated seats?

Utopia Parkway

Feck me pretty sure it’s accidental but he could have taken Bealham’s eye out there.

Burkie1203

Red card. No accident

Burkie1203

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121641072#Comment_121641072

Nah that's not accidental.

AdamD

Red for me. You always know where your feet are.

bingobango12

Don’t think that was accidental. Unnatural position to hit that ruck.

standardg60

Definitely deliberate for me

eagle eye

Absolutely no intent there. Feel sorry for Caulfield.

Glad Finlay is okay.

MayoForSam

That was literally an assault on Bealham, he's lucky not to have lost an eye.