Waterford GAA thread - mod warning post #1 and #51

Walsh Park ready to bring Waterford hurling back home
County insist they will host home games in championship before ground is redeveloped

Ian O'Riordan

Waterford County Board officials are now adamant that Walsh Park will host their Munster hurling round-robin matches this coming May and June, before work will then immediately commence on a €7 million refurbishment project to bring the county ground’s capacity up to 16,500.

Following a year of indecision, full planning permission was granted by An Bord Pleanála last Friday, and county chairman Paddy Joe Ryan told The Irish Times it’s now “full steam ahead” on the project.

However in the meantime he said Walsh Park would be fit to host Waterford’s two home games this summer – against Clare on May 12th, followed by the All-Ireland champions Limerick on June 2nd.

“That’s no longer in question, the Clare and Limerick games will both take place in Walsh Park,” said Ryan.

“The Slattery Report has put the capacity at 11,040 people, that’s allowed, subject to some remedial work, which is already started, I believe today [Monday].

“Everything will be ready for the championship. There was an issue with a wall as well, which was in danger of falling, but that’s being taken down. There was some other remedial work, in the short term, some small health and safety things. But we don’t see any obstacle now whatsoever. It’s full steam ahead.”

After reaching the All-Ireland final in 2017, Waterford’s hurling ambitions fell considerably short last summer when they failed to progress from the round-robin phase of the Munster championship. At that stage Walsh Park was given a reduced capacity of just 8,000, deemed unsuitable for their home matches by the Munster Council.

As a result, the Waterford seniors (and minors) played their “home” games in 2018 in away venues – drawing with Tipperary at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick, and losing to Cork at Semple Stadium in Thurles. They also lost “away” to Clare and Limerick, and this failed to progress. Fraher Field, with a capacity of some 15,000, wasn’t considered suitable either.

New hurling manager Páraic Fanning, who succeeded Derek McGrath, has also been quietly insisting that Waterford’s home games in 2019 be played at home. The Munster Council had also voted against the possibility of staging the games closer to home, possibly at Nowlan Park, as that was outside the province.

Several submissions

Preliminary planning permission for the refurbishment work was approved last year, but An Bord Pleanála received several submissions, two regarding traffic management issues, which have now been addressed.

“An Bord Pleanála have now signed off, we got the go ahead on Friday,” said Ryan. “All going to plan, the bulldozers will move in immediately after Waterford’s last home game. The existing stand on Slievekeale Road will be upgraded as will Keanes Road which will be a covered terrace; there will be an uncovered terrace on the northern bank. The project is also set to include four new dressing rooms, office space and shops, plus off-street parking for team buses.

“The plan is that the day after the Limerick game, we’ll start the redevelopment, the knocking and the reconstructing,” added Ryan.

“Ideally, we’re looking at 11½ months, which would have it ready for our first championship game next year (2020), against Cork. There’s very little knocking. It’s more just building up the new terrace behind the goals. And when it’s finished we’ll have seating for around 11,500, 6,500 covered, around 5,000 uncovered. And a standing terrace, covered, behind the goals, standing for another 5,000.

The cost of the project has been put at €7 million, significantly less than the now €95.8m bill facing the Cork County Board for the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

But Ryan explained there’s is a far more modest project: “That’s the latest figure that was put to the clubs and the county boards, and we’d be hopeful of keeping it at that. We’re still in the process of approving that funding from all the various people involved, Government sports funding, Central Council funding, Munster Council funding, and the raise we needs to raise ourselves from within the county.

“But everything has been budgeted for, and the funding plan has already presented to the county board. That’s passed by the county board, and hopefully the job will going to tender this week.”

Walsh Park last hosted a Munster championship match in 2003, when Waterford hosted Kerry in the first round.

“We’ve needed this for a while now, and when it’s finished, we’ll have a beautiful compact stadium, 16,000-16,500. And we might only fill it twice a year, as long as this championship format continues, so it’s plenty big. The bigger the stadium the bigger the cost, and this is absolutely big enough for what we want.”

“And our manager as also been insisting all along that our championship games be played in Walsh Park this year. I believe the new director general Tom Ryan also mentioned it in his annual report, to Congress, that Waterford’s games should be played in Waterford.”

Waterford are currently top of division 1B, beating Offaly, Laois and Carlow by double-digit scores, and face Dublin and Galway in their remaining games.

deiseach wrote: »

I think it's a mistake to go back to the format that we saw around the turn of the millennium with two Division 1's of roughly equal strength. I remember how the likes of Down and Derry would come up from a division in which they were way too good and find themselves in a division in which they were way too bad. The current format smooths out the progression for a county like Carlow. The team who gets promoted from Division 2 in 2020 is going to get a rude awakening when they play Division 1 in 2021, and I don't see what good that will do them.

Ropaire wrote: »

"Fraher Field, with a capacity of some 15,000, wasn’t considered suitable either."

That can't be right, is Fraher that big?

Tunc Nagiloc wrote: »

I would change to 2 so called equal Div 1 groups but I’d cut bottom 2 teams from current 1B and only have 10 teams not 12 in Div 1.
It would mean one less thing but is that a bad thing considering league starts in Jan!

Potential for very competitive Div2 if Offaly and Laois or Carlow were put in with the other top Div 2 teams like Kerry, Westmeath, Antrim

Why not have the divisions based on ability not just magic number of teams that gives even numbers in groups ?!

deiseach wrote: »

Anyone got any insight into parking near Parnell Park? Feel free to say "don't even think about it boi."

hardybuck wrote: »

Sure haven't the last two All Irelands been won by teams coming out of 1B? And the last 4 National League winners come from 1B?

Why would you be changing it? Especially with the likes of Carlow flying in it too.

chinguetti wrote: »

Folks, if you buy tickets online does GA stand for General Admission? Or is it a row/seat in one of the stands as can't get a stadium plan for the grounds.

PTH2009 wrote: »

Aussie needs too up his game for the rest of the campaign

Looked unfit last Saturday and made a lot of errors. At one point in the first half Noel Connors eat him out of it

cbwfd wrote: »

Actually thought there was a huge difference in Aussies conditioning last Saturday compared to the Clare Munster league game. Shows he's put in serious effort over the last few weeks

Jerry Atrick wrote: »

Great to have home championship games on the horizon in Walsh Park...the much maligned county board are getting their house in order.

PTH2009 wrote: »

we could actually be 3rd in the table come sunday if results dont go our way

Galway beat Offaly (which is very much expected) they move too 7pts. Dublin beat us than they move onto 6pts and would move ahead of us into 2nd place on h2h. We would then go 3rd

A win for us will keep us top even with Galway beating Offaly and next sunday (3rd Mar vs Galway) will be a straight out battle for 1st/2nd place. Same if ourselves and Dublin draw (Galway 7pts, Waterford 7pts, Dublin 5pts going into the last day)

tbh Sunday the real **** starts for Fanning and the team. All hard games from here on. If the rumours were to be believed Dublin manager Mattie Kenny was almost our manager a few months ago and will prob have a small idea of what to expect from us

Ian OB wrote: »

Notionally our match against Galway is a home fixture for us. But, as we are being forced to play this one at a neutral venue because we were bold last year does anyone know where it'll be on? Trying to get myself organised as it looks like being the only league match I'll get to this year.