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I haven't had the chance to see the new O'Connor Park stand yet, but I believe the reports are decent, and that for the foreseeable future we'll actually have a ground worthy of the county. Granted I'll miss the grass hill in a big way when they get around to destroying it, but in the meantime - in order to make it worthwhile, what would people say to getting into a whole load of home and away arrangements?

In one sense being in Leinster means we get a lot of trips to Croke Park, but surely now the time has come to start into home and away agreements so as to utilise all the good venues across the province. Once ours is up and running, it really only leaves Louth, Wicklow and Westmeath as counties that don't have worthwhile venues - though I will say that I really hate Newbridge as a ground.

While an away trip to Wexford is a hoor, I still think this semi final would have been perfect for tossing a coin and getting it going with them.

What say ye?

I agree in principle.Cant see much of a problem with that.

By the way......Whats wrong with Cusack Park in Mullingar.It has a nice enough stand and the terrace on the far side is good enough also.It was also good enough for an All-Ireland under 21 final last year?

Even with a new stand we will be lagging behind westmeaths facilities and numerous others such as navan, longford etc.......

Players clean through on goal getting knocked out of the way by old women with shopping trollies, footballs that clear the posts going on special offer in Dunnes the next day, the general fact that it's in Westmeath......

...take your pick!

The capacity of Cusack "Dunnes Stores Car" Park is only about 11,000.
Inadequate for an Offaly vs Wastemeath Leinster championship fixture.
If the Wastemeath county board hadn't been so hungry to sell off parts of their ground to various developers, then they could expand it to increase capacity.

how many was at this years game?

far from croghan hill wrote:how many was at this years game?

About 37,000, for the double header with Meath and Louth.

......but how many people left after the meath louth game??? louth had a huge number at it.

I agree that more "Home & Away" arrangements would be a good thing.

Croker is great and all that, but it's not much fun if there are only 20,000 people there for a match. Like it or not, Offaly has a relatively small population and then we are trying to support TWO relatively competitive teams. That means our core GAA support is hard stretched over the Summer months. Provincial venues are often easier to get to and tickets are often cheaper there too. Definitely a good idea in my book.

You'd certainly love to see an end to the farce of games like Offaly vs Roscommon in 2003 being played in a shite venue equally far from both teams. Should have been a draw/toss for Tullamore/Hyde and it would have been much better for it, with the agreement that the next championship meeting between the two be in the other venue.