Why are all these games in Tullamore?

[Lone Shark]

Seriously, that ground is a wreck at the moment - understandably of course, but still. It can't be for capacity reasons, because club grounds would be well able to take the crowds, so I don't know why it is.

We needed the stand for the Westmeath game, fair enough. But with three other home games - Mayo, Cork, and Dublin, we surely could have spread them around. Put the Dublin Match in Gracefield, where we have the second best football ground and a train station for the travelling hordes. Put the Mayo match over in Edenderry or somewhere, and let the Cork game, the lowest attended I'm sure, be played somewhere in the west of the county - Doon or Ferbane would do fine.

Spreading the Gospel, and not just bringing people to the same building site all the time - surely makes sense, no?

[Shin-Shin]

No come on, the pitch maybe crap at the moment,but it is the capital town of offaly again! where else would ya play a home game??!?!!?! suggestions welcome!!!

[Bord na Mona man]

I'm not sure being capital should entitle Tellamore to anything.
Sure Donegal play in Ballybofey, Galway play in Tuam etc.

I think Clara should be the venue for all future Offaly matches.

[Lone Shark]

Clara will have to do something about the most pungent toilet "facilities" in all of GAA before getting naything. It was enough of a disgrace that they played the U-16 final there last year - that was too big for it.

[Shin-Shin]

Clara, now come on are ya mad or what!?!?!? whatever bout pitch been bad in tullamore at least you are guaranteed car parking.....car parking in clara, i think there is no such thing!!!!!!!

[Lone Shark]

For any match where there isn't enough room to park in the petrol station, I think we're all agreed no-one wants to see anything go on in Clara.

For any kind of crowd, realistically it has to be Gracefield. The train station will take some pressure of, and there is a decent amount of room around the ground.

Spiritually though, to truly capture the indomitable spirit of Offaly, the games should be in Ferbane.

[Bord na Mona man]

Joe Collins' petrol station is a much better place to park than in the ambulance bay of Tellamore hospital.

For spreading and promoting the games to weak footballing areas, it should be Ferbane.

[Lone Shark]

I can see what you're talking about. You want to promote the game in weak areas such as Shannonbridge, but you don't want to go all the way over, so you go as far as you can with safety.

That it happens to be in the most successful club in Offaly football since the county has been a national power is just a coincidence.

[Bord na Mona man]

That it happens to be in the most successful club in Offaly football since the county has been a national power is just a coincidence.

Seven of those titles were won when Offaly were in Division 3 or 4.
No coincidence indeed.

[Lone Shark]

Exactly - Ferbane are the embodiment of thick and thin, an inspiration to all clubs. The best in 1971, when Offaly won their first ever All Ireland, and kept things going even when the Claras and Rhodes of this world were weak and not providing the county with a strong club basis.

[Shin-Shin]

ok..why play intercounty matches in small areas of the county.... example a supporter of the red and green (mayo) coming down to the match last sunday, would have no problem finding tullamore, as its a fairly straight run from mullingar and the main n4/n5, whereas, if he was coming to see a match in likes of clara, ballinamere, ferbane, tubber, etc he would spend most of the match tryin to find these places then at the match!

[Lone Shark]

This weekend alone there are league matches on in Carrickmore, Ballycran, Kilmoyley, Carrickcruppen, Newcastle and Aughrim, none of which would be the easiest in the world to find - the point is if you're interested, everyone has a road map.

Incidentally, I'd say finding a village is easier than finding Parnell Park in the middle of Killester if you don't know where you're going.

I mean jaysus, if a lad can't find Tubber pitch, and it smack bang in the middle of the village on the N52, there's not really much hope for lads - probably closer for a lot of Mayo folk as well.

The GAA is a community thing - Tullamore makes sense when the potential crowd warrants it, or for consistency, but when the place is a building site and a place like Tubber or Gracefield offers more cover than it, then you have to start thinking about moving.

Tomorrow's game is another example. Surely Edenderry would be the place to go - not that I'm complaining mind - it's a lot closer to me.

[Percy Sledgehammer]

League game in Tubber, after match pints in the Cat and Bagpipes. Now you're talking!

[Shin-Shin]

now don't tell me ya don't know where aughrim is? and im telling ya all those places are alot bigger than tubber!! sure ya couldn't swing a cat in tubber

[Lone Shark]

I do know where Aughrim is - I've been there on a few occasions, and I've been to Carrickcruppen and Kilmoyley before as well. That's hardly the point - the point is that these places are no bigger/smaller than several of the towns in Offaly that you're saying are too small to host games.

Anyway, the issue is not auxilliary facilities, it's being able to locate the ground. Somewhere like Walsh Island, miles from any main road and badly signed loses out on those grounds. If anything, because it's so small, it's dead handy get to the pitch in Tubber - find the village and you're there. Those who want to "swing cats" can stop off in Moate....