GAA Infastructure

kksaints · 20-01-2021 7:15pm

yabadabado wrote: »

It was reduced to 10/11k about 5 years ago but I thought it was back up now to 20k.
Was at a game there in 2019 and the stand/terrace looked in decent shape.

Edit: Taking out Carlow ,there would still be 14/15 at 20k.
Roscommon is currently at 18k but will be increased once the work on the ground is completed. These aren't major developments (circa 2m)so I expect it to start this year.

It was 11k after 2015 due to H&S. I haven't seen anything to suggest that it's back at its original capacity of 21k which from the last time I was there would be dangerously overcrowded.

Some of the Capacity figures for GAA grounds on wikipedia are badly out of date or ignore any kind of safe capacity levels. Wexford Park's capacity according to that is 25k. The Kilkenny vs Wexford Leinster round robin tie in 2019 had an attendance of 15,241. I was at this match and in no way whatsoever could you fit another 2k in safely let alone 10k. There was overcrowding issues at the league semi final there in 2018 which had an attendance of 16k

BloodyBill · 20-01-2021 9:49pm

I think Wexford Park is about 20,000 now,no more. And that wasn't even full for round Robin games in Leinster which I found strange. Really the round Robin fixtures showed the huge disparity in crowds between Munster and Leinster. But thats neither here nor there.
I see Croke Park is getting a face-lift. Thats needed,the seats are small and getting worn. Its aged well but certainly needs abit of Botox.

yabadabado · 20-01-2021 9:54pm

According to the reports its €71m they are spending on CP but its for conference,hospitality and the museum.

celt262 · 21-01-2021 1:02pm

yabadabado wrote: »

According to the reports its €71m they are spending on CP but its for conference,hospitality and the museum.

That is nice of them and on the other hand they don't think they can run the National leagues as the money isn't there.

beggars_bush · 21-01-2021 3:42pm

celt262 wrote: »

That is nice of them and on the other hand they don't think they can run the National leagues as the money isn't there.

Problem is, if you don't keep a stadium upgraded it gets old very quick

They make more off a few concerts than gate receipts

celt262 · 21-01-2021 4:03pm

beggars_bush wrote: »

Problem is, if you don't keep a stadium upgraded it gets old very quick

They make more off a few concerts than gate receipts

Yeah that's all well and good but they got millions in funding from the government last year to run the championships are mumbling that they may not be able to afford to run the leagues this year and have pulled 70 odd million from the back of the couch to upgrade Croke Park.

yabadabado · 21-01-2021 4:37pm

celt262 wrote: »

Yeah that's all well and good but they got millions in funding from the government last year to run the championships are mumbling that they may not be able to afford to run the leagues this year and have pulled 70 odd million from the back of the couch to upgrade Croke Park.

Would the 70m not be financed?
I doubt they spending cash on it .

Seth Brundle · 21-01-2021 5:44pm

Not sure if this has been posted here in the past but this is an interesting forecast on Croker from the Irish Indo 80 years ago...
https://twitter.com/tim_carey1/status/1352189470565662720

ArielAtom · 21-01-2021 8:55pm

Really the GAA should be looking at another capital expenditure project and allocate the 71M towards building a stadium in Dublin.

munchkin_utd · 22-01-2021 5:50pm

funny, i did actually think the article was a rehash of plans which were announced years ago, but there the figure was €60 million - and that seems to be the case

Also, croker has seen investment over the years. The premium level has gone posh with random foodtruck type carts, the other catering got a jazz up too, theres wifi all along the conference areas, the large tvs replaced at a massive cost and the roof got millions of euros in corrosion repairs, and theres probably more stuff that was done over the years aside from that.

https://twitter.com/officialgaa/status/1352649925616656384?s=20

Coillte_Bhoy · 23-01-2021 8:09pm

celt262 wrote: »

Yeah that's all well and good but they got millions in funding from the government last year to run the championships are mumbling that they may not be able to afford to run the leagues this year and have pulled 70 odd million from the back of the couch to upgrade Croke Park.

Care to back that up? Link?

roadmaster · 24-01-2021 5:43pm

I seen during the week louth are pushing on with the new dundalk stadium. I know the county board have said they will not entertain the notion of a groundshare with Dundalk but in this day and age in Ireland any new stadiums we build should be
municipal stadiums for several sports to use. If louth had more partners such as soccer and rugby they would not have to put as much funding in place and could better spend funds on underage team coach's and there senior county teams

threeball · 24-01-2021 9:40pm

roadmaster wrote: »

I seen during the week louth are pushing on with the new dundalk stadium. I know the county board have said they will not entertain the notion of a groundshare with Dundalk but in this day and age in Ireland any new stadiums we build should be
municipal stadiums for several sports to use. If louth had more partners such as soccer and rugby they would not have to put as much funding in place and could better spend funds on underage team coach's and there senior county teams

Those dual use stadiums never work for the sport with the smaller pitch. Place becomes soulless with all the space around the pitch. Especially where crowds like in LOI are sparse.

yabadabado · 24-01-2021 10:46pm

Also I think it's a a bad idea sharing a pitch with rugby. Remember a few teams in UK shared with rugby and the pitch would be in awful condition.

It's very hard do a stadium justice when one game needs a much larger pitch than the other.soccer was odd looking on the Croker pitch.
If building from scratch maybe a compromise could work ,the width of the pitch could be the same for GAA/Soccer but the length would have to be at least 10m longer for GAA .

threeball · 25-01-2021 12:25am

yabadabado wrote: »

Also I think it's a a bad idea sharing a pitch with rugby. Remember a few teams in UK shared with rugby and the pitch would be in awful condition.

It's very hard do a stadium justice when one game needs a much larger pitch than the other.soccer was odd looking on the Croker pitch.
If building from scratch maybe a compromise could work ,the width of the pitch could be the same for GAA/Soccer but the length would have to be at least 10m longer for GAA .

Minimum 35m longer and 10m wider so hard to see any compromise that works.

yabadabado · 25-01-2021 12:31am

threeball wrote: »

Minimum 35m longer and 10m wider so hard to see any compromise that works.

I thought it was min 10m longer but width could be the same?
Gaa pitch can be min 130m long, soccer max of 120m .
Soccer pitch max width 90m ,GAA pitch can be between 80m to 90m wide?

Pete_Cavan · 25-01-2021 11:35am

yabadabado wrote: »

I thought it was min 10m longer but width could be the same?
Gaa pitch can be min 130m long, soccer max of 120m .
Soccer pitch max width 90m ,GAA pitch can be between 80m to 90m wide?

Those may be the permitted max dimensions for a soccer pitch but in practice, nobody wants a pitch that big. If Dundalk were to have a pitch that big, they would be at a disadvantage every second week when they have to play on a smaller pitch. In GAA, you dont want a minimum sized pitch, with the fitness of players these days and the ground they cover, you want a big pitch. In real terms, the pitches are just not compatible.

No soccer club is going to give up their own stadium where they keep all the income to share a compromised stadium which is likely too big for their needs and has fans further from the pitch.

roadmaster · 25-01-2021 12:46pm

i just think we need to be sharing more facilities considering the size of the country , Dundalk them selves floated the idea of using the new county grounds. A tight pitch might be the only advantage a team like louth would have against Dublin

Pete_Cavan · 25-01-2021 1:40pm

roadmaster wrote: »

i just think we need to be sharing more facilities considering the size of the country , Dundalk them selves floated the idea of using the new county grounds. A tight pitch might be the only advantage a team like louth would have against Dublin

I'd be very surprised if Dundalk would seriously consider leaving their decent setup (which includes indoor pitches and an underground carpark) in order to share a pitch that has their fans further away and they'd have to schedule around GAA as both sports play over the summer.

It is unlikely the Louth senior team will ever play Dublin in a Championship game here so that ins't really a concern. Even if it was, they could bring in the sidelines on a larger pitch like Tyrone did (unbeknownst to Mickey!). Louth will build a 145m x 90m main pitch.

roadmaster · 25-01-2021 2:44pm

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

I'd be very surprised if Dundalk would seriously consider leaving their decent setup (which includes indoor pitches and an underground carpark) in order to share a pitch that has their fans further away and they'd have to schedule around GAA as both sports play over the summer.

It is unlikely the Louth senior team will ever play Dublin in a Championship game here so that ins't really a concern. Even if it was, they could bring in the sidelines on a larger pitch like Tyrone did (unbeknownst to Mickey!). Louth will build a 145m x 90m main pitch.

at least louth are building an appropriate size stadium. One thing that needs to be done which i have said before is a minimum capacity for championship games needs to be set so in case the likes of louth or longford get dublin in a home draw the game can't be moved fir capacity issues

celt262 · 25-01-2021 3:36pm

Coillte_Bhoy wrote: »

Care to back that up? Link?

You know there is no link.

It just looks bad that a few months after the begging bowl was out and will possibly be out again this year there are plans to spend millions on upgrades. I know it will be loans over a period of time but i wonder will the taxpayer get their money back?

grbear · 23-02-2021 1:51am

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-40231556.html

"Monaghan County Board chairman Declan Flanagan fears the redevelopment project for Casement Park could “escalate beyond belief” as construction costs rise.

Flanagan revealed his concerns about the Casement Park project and how exactly running costs will be paid for when the new stadium is up and running."

I won't copy anymore of the text as I feel the full articles worth reading.

This whole project just seems to make less and less sense. The plans look great and it'd be good for Antrim but the price is too high.

PTH2009 · 23-02-2021 3:14am

https://www.wlrfm.com/2021/02/19/walsh-park-works-set-to-start-in-2022/

It's been in the works for so long and please god construction finally starts as scheduled in 2022, it looks pretty impressive but tbf anything is better than what's there now

Greenlights16 · 23-02-2021 2:25pm

Might get another crop of silage off of it the year!

Pete_Cavan · 23-02-2021 2:56pm

PTH2009 wrote: »

https://www.wlrfm.com/2021/02/19/walsh-park-works-set-to-start-in-2022/

It's been in the works for so long and please god construction finally starts as scheduled in 2022, it looks pretty impressive but tbf anything is better than what's there now

That looks great. I think we should be looking to provide some public space outside stadiums if possible and have food vendors, kids zone, etc. for people to mingle in before/after games. Unfortunately the planning drawings show that space to be a car park.

23-02-2021 3:37pm

People have to get to games though and the days of firing the car anywhere are long gone, so a car park is more essential.

Lost Ormond · 23-02-2021 3:41pm

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

People have to get to games though and the days of firing the car anywhere are long gone, so a car park is more essential.

Or maybe you have stadium and areas surrounding stadium set up so people dont have to drive to the ground and use public transport, group together hiring buses etc far more than they do now.

23-02-2021 3:50pm

Lost Ormond wrote: »

Or maybe you have stadium and areas surrounding stadium set up so people dont have to drive to the ground and use public transport, group together hiring buses etc far more than they do now.

In reality that doesn’t work though, not by a long way, especially for a county grounds. We’re talking about people coming from rural areas and this is a real stadium plan not a pipe dream for a perfect Ireland.

kksaints · 23-02-2021 3:53pm

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

In reality that doesn’t work though, not by a long way, especially for a county grounds. We’re talking about people coming from rural areas and this is a real stadium plan not a pipe dream for a perfect Ireland.

Also most GAA matches take place on Sundays, days where public transport is on reduced services.

Pete_Cavan · 23-02-2021 4:04pm

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

People have to get to games though and the days of firing the car anywhere are long gone, so a car park is more essential.

The parking area shown there at Walsh Park has 16 car spaces, of which three are disabled. They are almost entirely irrelevant to people getting to a game and certainly not essential, they wouldn't even be available to the general public. Public space would be a far better use of that area, on both match and non-match days.

BonnieSituation · 23-02-2021 4:35pm

Who's driving to Walsh Park though that need parking that close? It won't be any of the patrons thats' for sure. As is right. There needs to be some parking on site for logistic reasons.

If there's parking needed for match days it'll be done as P+R.

For those coming from town it's a handy jaunt up sure.

23-02-2021 4:58pm

BonnieSituation wrote: »

Who's driving to Walsh Park though that need parking that close? It won't be any of the patrons thats' for sure. As is right. There needs to be some parking on site for logistic reasons.

If there's parking needed for match days it'll be done as P+R.

For those coming from town it's a handy jaunt up sure.

Where have they said there will be a park and ride service? If they have one it’ll be a first, plus most shopping centres (which are normally the only car parks in big towns) won’t be allowing this. A lot put a stop to it for various days out long ago.

Pete_Cavan · 23-02-2021 5:44pm

What's better, a few parking spaces for county board officials or space for hundreds of people to enjoy? Honestly, some people in this country's fascination with parking never ceases to amaze me.

23-02-2021 5:58pm

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

What's better, a few parking spaces for county board officials or space for hundreds of people to enjoy? Honestly, some people in this country's fascination with parking never ceases to amaze me.

We’ll all teleport in on the power of Eamonn Ryan’s mind. It’ll be grand.

I’m just being realistic. While it’s a lovely idea and it would be great to see funfairs and family picnics in the space, it’s a sports ground which will have a lot of supporters coming from rural areas. Or are they just left to rot to fit in with the vision?

Lost Ormond · 23-02-2021 6:08pm

kksaints wrote: »

Also most GAA matches take place on Sundays, days where public transport is on reduced services.

It doesnt have to be simply public transport but park and ride

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

We’ll all teleport in on the power of Eamonn Ryan’s mind. It’ll be grand.

I’m just being realistic. While it’s a lovely idea and it would be great to see funfairs and family picnics in the space, it’s a sports ground which will have a lot of supporters coming from rural areas. Or are they just left to rot to fit in with the vision?

Many do come from rural areas but its same with countless stadiums around Ireland and beyond which are surrounded by housing estates and better off with park and ride or other ways to reduce traffic levels in and around the stadium on match day.
Theyre not being left to rot at all and the experience of supporters will be far better if you reduce car parking spaces directly around the stadium and put in extra park and ride or other ways to get to the stadium.

threeball · 23-02-2021 6:23pm

Pete_Cavan wrote: »

That looks great. I think we should be looking to provide some public space outside stadiums if possible and have food vendors, kids zone, etc. for people to mingle in before/after games. Unfortunately the planning drawings show that space to be a car park.

Whats the GAA obsession with half roofing a stand. Either roof it or don't fcukin roof it but theres nothing worse than drops the size of sliothars coming off the edge of a roof and landing directly in your lap while the lad two rows back is dry as a bone.

Pete_Cavan · 23-02-2021 7:20pm

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

We’ll all teleport in on the power of Eamonn Ryan’s mind. It’ll be grand.

I’m just being realistic. While it’s a lovely idea and it would be great to see funfairs and family picnics in the space, it’s a sports ground which will have a lot of supporters coming from rural areas. Or are they just left to rot to fit in with the vision?

We’ll all park in 16 car spaces which wont even be available to the general public. It’ll be grand.

breezy1985 · 23-02-2021 11:31pm

Most GAA stadia I can think of dont have parking as parts of the grounds and they manage fine somehow.

How did people manage in Walsh Park up to now

CrabRevolution · 24-02-2021 1:23pm

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

We’ll all teleport in on the power of Eamonn Ryan’s mind. It’ll be grand.
I’m just being realistic. While it’s a lovely idea and it would be great to see funfairs and family picnics in the space, it’s a sports ground which will have a lot of supporters coming from rural areas. Or are they just left to rot to fit in with the vision?

How can you say you're being realistic when you claim rural supporters are "left to rot" because in future they won't be able to park in some parking spaces that aren't even available to them now?

breezy1985 · 24-02-2021 1:42pm

CrabRevolution wrote: »

How can you say you're being realistic when you claim rural supporters are "left to rot" because in future they won't be able to park in some parking spaces that aren't even available to them now?

Anyway why should city dwellers have to bend over backwards for the sake of rural drivers. Much better to use the space for something that can some use from the people who live in the area

27-02-2021 7:12pm

threeball wrote: »

Whats the GAA obsession with half roofing a stand. Either roof it or don't fcukin roof it but theres nothing worse than drops the size of sliothars coming off the edge of a roof and landing directly in your lap while the lad two rows back is dry as a bone.

Always amazed by this. In Waterford all we need to do is look a few 100 meters down the road to the RSC where their recent stand (Tramore Road side) is fully covered, with steep seating for an uninterrupted view

rMDBsk0

27-02-2021 7:13pm

This is the image which I attempted to display!

threeball · 28-02-2021 9:22am

914 wrote: »

This is the image which I attempted to display!

Thats more like it and I'd even extend another metre out just to be sure.

BloodyBill · 28-02-2021 10:50am

kksaints wrote: »

Also most GAA matches take place on Sundays, days where public transport is on reduced services.

Munster is probably the only province to have a decent train service that runs regularly to their main cities/ towns. Every county has a decent service to their main stadium on match day. Its a tragedy the state of rail in some parts,especially Ulster and the border counties.. Not that the likes of West Clare or rural west Limerick or Cork Kerry border have access . They don't.

breezy1985 · 28-02-2021 11:08am

BloodyBill wrote: »

Munster is probably the only province to have a decent train service that runs regularly to their main cities/ towns. Every county has a decent service to their main stadium on match day. Its a tragedy the state of rail in some parts,especially Ulster and the border counties.. Not that the likes of West Clare or rural west Limerick or Cork Kerry border have access . They don't.

The buses are usually at times that are useless for anything like a match too. Do county boards or clubs not run buses like the soccer teams do ?

roadmaster · 01-03-2021 11:26pm

It looks like the Ulster Final will be in clones for the foreseeable future which I am happy with

https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/gaa/building-casement-is-not-priority-says-new-gaa-president-larry-mccarthy-40141467.html

Billy Ocean · 17-04-2021 5:26pm

When i seen a indo GAA list article I presumed with was Martin Brehony but turned out to be actually Frank Roche.

https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/rated-and-slated-all-32-gaa-county-grounds-assessed-but-how-does-yours-measure-up-40322039.html

Good to see Nowlan Park as number 1, brilliant venue for games around the 20k attendance mark, our own county ground of Wexford Park making the top half was surprising, the 2nd worst county ground in the country for wind after salthill but I'm open to correction.

kala85 · 17-04-2021 5:30pm

Cusack Park in ennis must be the worst one I have been in.

Didn't think clones was great either

17-04-2021 5:37pm

Billy Ocean wrote: »

When i seen a indo GAA list article I presumed with was Martin Brehony but turned out to be actually Frank Roche.

https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/rated-and-slated-all-32-gaa-county-grounds-assessed-but-how-does-yours-measure-up-40322039.html

Good to see Nowlan Park as number 1, brilliant venue for games around the 20k attendance mark, our own county ground of Wexford Park making the top half was surprising, the 2nd worst county ground in the country for wind after salthill but I'm open to correction.

Nowlan is brilliant. I like Wexford Park higher than they rated it actually, and if they were taking the whole experience into it (town, etc) it’s top 5.

Love a match in Armagh too, definitely deserved it’s standing.

Billy Ocean · 17-04-2021 5:46pm

I've been to games in 11 of the venues, Tullamore another deserving of its high standing, the worst ive been to is Newbridge i'd even have Walsh Park ahead of it, never been to Drogheda but a 3,500 capacity says it all really.

GAA Infastructure

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