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where is the worst pitch in the county?
me, myself i would have to say geashill without a shadow of a doubt...there's holes all over the field,chippings and stones all over the field aswell,its a laugh to think it has held,senior and intermediate champs games this year...sooner rather than later someone is goin to break an ankle or a leg on it..its like a rock when its dry,but then it rains for an hour and the pitch is waterlogged...in fairness the stand and the lights over there are a great,but the pitch in my view is unsafe and unplayable....your views and any other fields ye think derserve a mention lads....

I would agree that Raheens pitch is pretty poor any time of the year. Ballinamere's pitch just dries out to a rock if there's any fine weather. Ballinagar's never dries out, it's just black bog soil. That one in Mount Bolus is pretty poor the last time I played it.

It's no disrespect to any of those clubs, it's just down to the land they have I think.

But I've left my nomination for worst pitch to .... Rhode.

Was there a while ago in the later stages of one of the Junior Championships.
The two goalmouths are a disgrace with huge gaping gouges of dirt out of the ground, there was 2 foot of grass at the bottom of each post, the pitch hadn't been mowed in ages, the pitch wasn't marked/lined and they couldn't find all the pitch flags. This was a Championship match, they were playing at home and this is how they presented their pitch. A Disgrace. I don't mind saying it, a good friend of mine from Rhode was umpire and I told him, and he just shrugged his shoulders.

I was never really a big fan of the Ferbane pitch, I remember back in my school days, the grass being 6 inches long along the wings and corners and pure earth/pebbles along the centre of the pitch. The goal mouths was like a ploughing field, much like any other pitch in the country.

The pitch in Rahan needs a cable car or granny lift.

I remember the Birr pitch years ago having awful hills and bumps but still had a good surface, these have been ironed out now tho.

Pullagh is in a bog.

Some of the great pitches have to be :-
Tullamore
Banagher
Tubber

Have to say that Bracknagh is a terrible venue.The pitch has literally got a hill on it and the sward of grass on it isnt great either.

Mucklagh was very poor as well when we played Ferbane there recently.It holds a lot of water and the slope doesnt do either team any favours.

When we played Shamrocks in Ferbane in the last group game i thought Ferbane's field was excellent considering the deluge of water that had fallen in the days previous.

Our own field has been very well presented when it comes to championship matches.

Rynaghs Biffo wrote:I was never really a big fan of the Ferbane pitch, I remember back in my school days, the grass being 6 inches long along the wings and corners and pure earth/pebbles along the centre of the pitch. The goal mouths was like a ploughing field, much like any other pitch in the country.

Jesus I'd totally disagree with you there! The main pitch in Ferbane holds water brilliantly and the grass is just the nice length so that when its dry its not too hard if you fall on it.

O'Connor park, O'Brien park in Tullamore are really nice. Tubber is a great set up. We played a game once in Daingain and I don't know how someone didn't break a leg. At one stage a lad was running through and hopped the ball and the ball bounced back over his head as if he bounced the ball against a curb. That was a while ago though. Clara can get a bit boggy but if it's been dry it's in great nick.

I'd say in general the pitches in Offaly are pretty good. Realistically all you ask for is a smooth reasonably flat surface with a nice length of grass no stones etc on the pitch. After that its up to mother nature...and lets face it, she's a bitch!

I have something against Clareen. Although the surface itself is average (when they bother to cut the grass) the manner in which the lines are 'burnt' onto the grass instead of being marked properly with white paint is an absolute disgrace. Not only does it look atrocious but it also smells foul.Unacceptable.

offalyman wrote:where is the worst pitch in the county?
me, myself i would have to say geashill without a shadow of a doubt...there's holes all over the field,chippings and stones all over the field aswell,its a laugh to think it has held,senior and intermediate champs games this year...sooner rather than later someone is goin to break an ankle or a leg on it..its like a rock when its dry,but then it rains for an hour and the pitch is waterlogged...in fairness the stand and the lights over there are a great,but the pitch in my view is unsafe and unplayable....your views and any other fields ye think derserve a mention lads....

Have to agree geashill is terrible. Tore ankle ligaments on it twice. safer playing on a back road. One of ye mentioned mountbolus being poor. Always liked that pitch and clareens even though the markings are burnt onto it. Hurled on both of them last year.

Should be a best pitches forum too.

Killavilla has a crap pitch, has to be the worst in offaly!!!
(prob have the worst team in offaly as well!! )

Have to say that effort of a pitch in cloghan is brutal - grass is usually to your knees and a nice little slope as well,
Doon have a nice pitch over there,Ferbanes is fine now,Clonbullogue -now theres a bog and a half.

Just to note, i was playing in a Under4 21 semi final a few years ago which was fixed for Ballycumber, it was waterlogged and we tried nearly every other pitch within 10 miles but they were all flooded as well, except one................... Pullough - the pitch was in super condition - and yea i still cant figure it out.

GOOFY wrote:Pullough - the pitch was in super condition - and yea i still cant figure it out.

They have tarps like at Wimbledon

On a more positive note, O'Connor Park is the best surface I have ever played on, along with maybe Dr Cullen Park in Carlow. I've played in most pitches in Leinster and those 2 were ahead of any of the others, and ahead of the likes of Croke Park (old version), Navan, Newbridge, Portlaoise, Gaelic Grounds in Limerick etc etc etc.

O'Connor park is a gift of a pitch.

Killer B wrote:Killavilla has a crap pitch, has to be the worst in offaly!!!

We have a winner, no contest at least you can see from one end of geashill pitch to the other!!

As for best pitches, there are a lot of good football pitches that aren't great hurling pitches.

Hurling pitches: best would probably be Rath and O'Connor park, I actually don't think clareen is bad.

I remember a few years back playing a football match in Lusmagh. That pitch was immaculate. Top notch.

azoffaly wrote: .... I've played in most pitches in Leinster ....

Dont be bragging!

I can remember watching a Leinster Schools Final played in Daingean, with a crowd of a good few hundred people. Unfortunately it was about 25 years ago. It was a great pitch then. However, I'd say the Dressing Rooms haven't improved much in the interim.

True Red wrote:
Mucklagh was very poor as well when we played Ferbane there recently.It holds a lot of water and the slope doesnt do either team any favours.

I'm no landscaper but that slope must be ten feet

True Red wrote:
Our own field has been very well presented when it comes to championship matches.

You said it!