O Moore Park is getting a one million euro upgrade to accommodate 25,000 spectators. Hopefully we will see the dubs in O Moore Park in the championship sometime in the future. More grounds need money spent on them especially in Kildare and Navan.

crikey (Australia) - Posts: 355 - 21/05/2015 13:18:37    1726504

less than 10,000 people go to a lot of games, why on earth is there a need to expand the size of any of these places. How many games a year will O'Moore Park get to get a crowd of 25000 at it? It'll take a long time to recoup €1million euro on ticket prices anyway.

LakemenAbu (Westmeath) - Posts: 134 - 21/05/2015 14:43:47    1726584

yeah be nice to see
off topic I didnt want to start a new thread but
is it just me or are health and safety a peculiar crowd
we have on one hand navan not allowed have either terrace behind the goals open
as its against health and safety for people to be allowed on the grass
yet louths ground in drogheda has grass terraces in 3/4 of the ground
and they are allowed people on them
doesnt make much sense like

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 21/05/2015 15:35:03    1726629

From what I can tell, they're not actually expanding the size of the ground. Rather, they're introducing features to improve safety, an issue which had led to a reduction in the grounds capacity (on safety concerns).
Is that about right?

Marlon_JD (Tipperary) - Posts: 1823 - 21/05/2015 18:00:38    1726736

Why haven't Meath or Kildare done something about building bigger and better grounds both have massive populations and big support yet they still haven't done nothing? First of all Kildare need to build a ground out of Newbridge no room down there for a 30 thousand minimum stadium.

clondalkindub (Dublin) - Posts: 9926 - 21/05/2015 18:12:47    1726746

not kildare or meath fault its gaa not giving them the money
800 thousand of the 1 million to do portloaise up is being paid by central council
you would imagine for 1 million they surely could increase the capacity by 5 thousand to 30 thousand
aswell as doing the remedial health and safety work.
30 thousand would be a good capacity for plenty of matches involving sides from leinster and munster
but on the otherhand they have gone on record to point out that portlaoise town itself cannot cope with full houses
as it is so you wonder then is there any point in restoring the 25 thousand capacity at all.
I dont get the reson behind health and safety not allowing navan to hold its 30 thousand capacity
when drogheda clearly is allowed use their grass terraces

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 21/05/2015 19:27:33    1726782

Most of the one million will go on safety issues, upgrading the toilets and a new commentary box for the lads.
One million doesn't go far nowadays.
Maybe 25000 is too large but necessary if Dublin are to play out of Croke Park. But really Kildare should have a ground capable of holding 25,000 not Portlaoise.

crikey (Australia) - Posts: 355 - 21/05/2015 21:19:00    1726836

Look at what the €1 million is doing at O'Moore Park, replacing stairwells and access points to the terraces, new walkway and supporting wall behind the main terrace and new toilets. The vast majority of the work, with the possible exception of the toilets, is being demanded by Health & Safety to return the place to its previous capacity. Now I've been at O'Moore Park plenty of times over the years and never seen anything wrong with the stairwells or access points nor did I ever see any problem arising with crowds coming or going and I've been there when the place had a big crowd in. The terraces have already had all the crush barriers replaced a couple of years back, another Health & Safety requirement. Apart from the new/refurbished toilets the paying customer will see no benefit in these works such as extra seating capacity or extra covered accommodation. I really can't help thing that this Health & Safety craic is a money racket, if the main terrace at Portlaoise was under threat of closure as I read today then I don't know how the entire of Pairc Tailteann or St. Conleths Park are left open never mind the Gaelic Grounds in Drogheda as both stands in Navan and Newbridge I wonder have considered to be in far far worse shape than any part of Portlaoise. And yes we have the grass banks closed in Navan yet the ones in Drogheda are free to roam and frolic in, I also would raise serious question marks over the safety of stone banking which exists in Walsh Park in Waterford and O'Donnell Park in Letterkenny. Personally I think a gravel/stone surface is worse than a grass one. There seems to be no uniform decision making within Health & Safety and even the more modern grounds have had faults highlighted, seems the goalposts tend to shift when it suits....

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 21/05/2015 21:29:06    1726846

clondalkindub
County: Dublin
Posts: 6101

1726746
Why haven't Meath or Kildare done something about building bigger and better grounds both have massive populations and big support yet they still haven't done nothing? First of all Kildare need to build a ground out of Newbridge no room down there for a 30 thousand minimum stadium.

The same question could be asked of Dublin who have the biggest population and the biggest support!!!

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 22/05/2015 08:29:02    1726872

O' Moore park originally cost $250,000 back in 1986 . That was for terraces on three sides and a new barrier all around and a new pitch. I think the new stand on one side which seats 6000 cost 1.75 million back in 2002.
Really then a new all seater stadium with four new stands each seating 6,000 (with a total capacity of 24,000) should cost 7 million (4* 1.75 million ) not allowing for inflation. lol

crikey (Australia) - Posts: 355 - 23/05/2015 11:45:45    1727327

all seater stadiums arent the way to go
there should be at least 10 thousand of a terrace capacity in all stadiums
not only do the cost far less to develop
there is also a lot of people who rather standing than sitting at sporting events
they should not be cast aside

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 23/05/2015 11:57:18    1727330

also there is nowhere near enough room behind either goal for 6thousand stands
they havent got the land to make 6 thousand terraces there as it is never mind seated areas

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 23/05/2015 12:02:50    1727332

hill16no1man
County: Dublin
Posts: 9775

1727332
also there is nowhere near enough room behind either goal for 6thousand stands
they havent got the land to make 6 thousand terraces there as it is never mind seated areas


how about 1 stand or terrace at each end for 6000 people hill? ;)

cavanman47 (Cavan) - Posts: 5012 - 23/05/2015 12:51:17    1727349

haha i assure you cavanman that post was tampered with haha

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 23/05/2015 13:20:14    1727359

For the visiting dubs we will leave one end for a terrace accommodating 6,000. We aim to please. The stand behind the other end goal wouldn't have the footprint to accommodate 6,000... probably 4,000. But even allowing for these two changes a county would have a very neat stadium with seating on 3 sides and a terrace at one end for 7 million. (based on 2002 figures). 7 million in 2001/2002 is equivalent to about 11.36 million today. Google.. Irish CPI calculator

crikey (Australia) - Posts: 355 - 23/05/2015 13:35:52    1727362

crikey
County: Australia
Posts: 54

1727362
For the visiting dubs we will leave one end for a terrace accommodating 6,000. We aim to please. The stand behind the other end goal wouldn't have the footprint to accommodate 6,000... probably 4,000. But even allowing for these two changes a county would have a very neat stadium with seating on 3 sides and a terrace at one end for 7 million. (based on 2002 figures). 7 million in 2001/2002 is equivalent to about 11.36 million today. Google.. Irish CPI calculator

not only dublin people look at rugby grounds such as thomond park they built the ground to cater for both.
you wouldnt get 4 thousand seats behind either goal in o moore park
you will always get more people able to stand than sit
and behind the goal up the far end of the ground I doubt even holds 4 thousand as a terrace

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 23/05/2015 16:42:05    1727410

I think Portlaoise should be upgraded its central enough and the midway point for say... KK v Galway, Wexford v Offaly maybe Dublin v Clare/Galway/Limerick etc. its close enough to the M7 motorway as well. Also, does anyone know if Athlone has a stadium? Athlone would be convenient for a stadium given its location...

shwag (Galway) - Posts: 2 - 23/05/2015 17:04:43    1727418

The likes of navan, Newbridge, drogheda and aughrim have not been upgraded because the GAA has prioritised doing up Cork and Belfast instead. Can't really argue with them but getting navan back to 30k and the other 3 I mentioned should be the next step. It's beyond a joke by now. Pity none of us had a big developer in the boom years to build us one.

Will be interesting to see the attendance at meath v wicklow this year in navan. For the leinster final last year we brought around 10k. I've a feeling we will get more to this. Which will only prove the damage to attendances the over use of croker does for quarter and semi final matches not involving Dublin.

Cavan and thurles looked great today on the TV. If they were in croker it would have looked very bad.

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 24/05/2015 18:57:08    1727789

jack goff thurles was only 40% full yesterday so can hardly say much differance to some league games in croker
people are too obsessed with croker having to be full
I switched on to highlights from wembley of play off final last night
and they did like croker do
closed off the upper tier and had everybody in the lower tier
and the atmosphere at it was brilliant with probably around half the ground full

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 25/05/2015 11:11:47    1728004

Great news. Portlaois is a brilliant geographic location for most Leinster counties bar maybe Meath and Louth as well as parts of Munster and Connaught.

sportsfan14 (USA) - Posts: 281 - 25/05/2015 13:03:29    1728075