Enjoy!!
Old thread here......
https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2057962937/mayo-gaa-discussion-part-4#latest
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Green Peter - Permanent
Man Vs ManUre until 9/05/23
Don't normally support my Mayo neighbours, but having attended enough hurling games there, I can confirm. Thurles is a pain on the hole to get too.
If you look at the map the M8 and that 9KM are a long way from Mayo.
Now if you said it was 9KM from the M7 then you might have a argument, but it's not, it's 30 KM from the M7.
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Castlebar/Thurles#trips
Castlebar > best time 4hrs 12mins.https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Dublin/Thurles#trips
Dublin > best time 1hr 12mins. I'd expect a bit of a backlash from Mayo fans if they went the Thurles direction with it.
Tullamore: 1hr 58mins vs 51mins Roscommon: 1hr 8mins vs 1hr 48mins Limerick: 2hr 45mins vs 2hr 44mins Clones: Only viable from Mayo driving (+5 hours on public transport) so I'd rule that one out as an option TBH. Salthill: Costs you your will to live trying to get out of there. Needs to be shut down & everything moved to Tuam for humanitarian reasons. Tullamore gives the shortest overall combined travel times, but questions on the equality of it and the crowd size (honestly couldn't begin to put an estimate on the crowd for that game, you could make a case for anything from 15k to 40k). Limerick the most equal, but questions over the total time required. The attendance it opens up makes it a very likely option. Roscommon probably the best balance of equality and total and the ~23-24k if full would give a cracking atmosphere. All sorts of positives on that one, but the fact I'm so keen on it probably why they'd rather not use it. Mayo fans tend to consider it a second home at this stage with our records there the last 15 or 20 years. Toss up between The Hyde and Gaelic Grounds for me. I'll be hoping Roscommon but expecting Limerick.
Just you said Thurles was no where near a dualer or motorway.
I'm based in Limerick also and happy to confirm that Thurles is a pain in the hole to get to.
Would love to see it in the Gaelic Grounds....the way my summer is lining up it might be my only chance to see Mayo playing live 😢
I know, it's just that the M8 was so far south I never even saw it :)
What's everyones thoughts on the team for next week? I was interested reading Billie Joe on Mayo news and listening to Colm Boyle on the pod - both more or less agreeing that the forward line was moving much better with McHale and Cillian in it. I tend to agree and I think the same 6 should start the next day.
Boyler mentioned how the changes has generated much needed competition and I don't think its any coincidence that Aidan and Towey scored heavily in the Club games.
Dublin to tullamore in 51 minutes? What part of Dublin is that from? I think dr Hyde be middle ground than everyone driving half a day to Limerick.
Whatever attendance they hope or think will turn up they really need to cut that in half. Maybe if both win their games might increase some hype but most will think it doesn’t matter bar a week off.
Don't think the Hyde will be a runner lads. We'll be playing Cavan at the same time so can't see them getting a team of local stewards together.
All of those would be from the point of the public transport option being used, just timing the journey itself. So for Dublin Tullamore it'd be the train journey down from Heuston Station. Didn't watch too closely but pretty sure all those Dublin times mentioned were departing Heuston with the Castlebar times mixed between the bus stop along with the train.
I can't see The Hyde being an option on the basis that Mayo will already have played 2 Championship games there this year before the Dublin game (yes, the Dubs, Croke Park, all their games there etc. but we know different rules apply) so I could see them pushing back against that option. Reckon it will be Tullamore to keep the Dubs happy. I don't think either side would be happy with Salthill (plus we've already played a Championship game this year). Limerick might be a runner but Thurles isn't in the equation.
No 1 wants to play in salthill not even the galway heads
Tickets available now for the Roscommon game, seems to just general admission rather than stand/tce tickets as it was for the Connacht SF
Close enough contest. Roscommon more direct while Mayo look a bit slower getting the ball up the field.
What a free by Kobe. Unbelievable.
any vids of it?
The second coming.
The full match is here. https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/categories/sport-tv-player/play/?pid=6353633073112&title=Ros%20Com%C3%A1in%20v%20Maigh%20Eo%20-%20C.C.%20Peile%20Mion%C3%BAr%20Connacht&series=GAA%20Beo&genre=Sport&pcode=682203
Says a lot when I'm not even sure if folks are praising the one around 45 minutes or the one around 59 minutes (~55m and into a tight angle on the wrong side for a right footer). Both outrageous frees.
Capacity for a lot of grounds is based on the access to and from the ground not how many you can fit in. Just because there are extra seats doesn't mean the capacity will automatically go up by the same amount. There is still work to be done including turnstiles which would definately impact capacity. I think the plan was to have it at 25k once work is completed. McHale park is limited to 25k not based on the number of bums you can fit on seats, but on the safety of getting the crowd in and out. I was thinking the last day there, that if funds allowed would we be as well not starting to replace all the concrete benches with seats like they started on the McHale road side. Would probably cap out capacity at not much above 25k indefinitely but its enough. Not many Connacht finals have gone higher recently and would make for a better experience. Would need a Mayo JP to pay for it though and a centre of excellence is number 1 priority.
Yes 25k capacity would be plenty. Even if they added the plastic seats section by section to save money it wpuld lead to a big eventual improvement. Don't think there has been a 30k+ crowd since the 2004 connacht final but I'm open to correction. Until Mayo win an Ai crowds greater than 25k are unlikely.
Green and red ones please if possible
Was it 28k for the Donegal super 8s game?
Yessss. Would give the place a sense of pride and remind the opposition where they are. Hard to build a fortress in Dublin colours.
You could be right. It's quite rare to have those numbers now though.
Personally, after the COE/training needs are sorted, I'd much prefer to see us tackle the issue with the (lack of) pitch width ahead of more comfy seats. In a stadium that's well over 1/3rd empty for +95% of games, I'd be whipping out the first few rows on the scoreboard/McHale Road side and pushing it out to the full max of 90m width (from the current 82m). For a side that's been playing athletic, open and expansive football for a couple of decades to be stuck with one of the narrowest pitches in the country (only 3 county grounds narrower afaik, at the minimum 80m) has been a huge hindrance to us. A big part of the reason we do so much better in The Hyde or Salthill (both the max 145m x 90m dimensions).
I know how's the capacities are calculated and you're correct in what you say.However in the case of Hyde park a large section of the concrete benches were blocked off for safety reasons.Now they have been replaced with new seats the capacity has definitely gone up.What it is exactly I don't know (I'm guessing maybe 23k)
As regards MacHale Park the capacity is capped at 28k.Theres a bit of confusion over this as some think it's 25k based on the Donegal super 8 game in 2019.Initially it was capped for that game at 25k,it sold out and was then increased to 28k.Also as anyone who was there that day can tell you there was plenty of space.
The last time there was a crowd in excess of 30k there was v Galway in 2018,it was about 34k that day.Ive dug out a few pics and attached them
Why is the Albany end closed of late?
Was closed for a few league games to reduce the issue of kids running on the pitch after games.I suppose the thinking was its easier to have stewards cover 3 sides of the ground rather than 4.This is pretty dumb thinking in my opinion as aside from building a fence you can't keep people off the pitch.
Also there were a lot of balls going missing so it kinda makes more sense in that regard.
I've often thought taking out a fee rows on the McHale road side to widen the pitch would be a great thing. Ideally that would be carried out in conjunction with seat replacement. The only problem is that it would mean having to build a retaining wall the full length of the pitch to support the front of the remaining seats. Very expensive to do that and would take a lot of fundraising.
This lad was interviewed on Sky this evening sporting a Mayo jersey
Must be of western stock. Or maybe GAA tops are all the rage among young Brit clubbers….
here he is
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