Given the amount of money spent on Abbotstown training facilities and Croke park stadium by the GAA, where is the similar investment in the West of Ireland?
Galway county board have large debts, some caused by recklessness, but also under investment. Connacht is a GAA heartland. Yet Hyde park Roscommon is waterlogged a lot. And Galway senior footballers / hurlers have no place to train. Come on GAA put some money in the WEST.

galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 2519 - 18/04/2016 13:54:52    1846804

Eh, pretty sure there's a Centre of Excellence in Connacht/The West?

link

CroiGorm (Dublin) - Posts: 1547 - 18/04/2016 14:02:49    1846809

http://connachtgaa.ie/connacht-gaa-centre/

Connacht GAA Centre opened in 2012

5 Grass pitches, 1 3G Pitch, Gym, Physio Rooms, dressing rooms, lecture theatre, dining hall.....

fast_forward (Louth) - Posts: 45 - 18/04/2016 14:05:19    1846811

Oh…..

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13707 - 18/04/2016 14:08:42    1846812

I've been there & it's an impressive facility in Bekan just outside Ballyhaunis, centrally located within the province.

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 18/04/2016 14:10:54    1846817

A free centre for Mayo GAA and far from centrally located for Connacht or Mayo (if only the full story could be told).

10m it cost(so it is and should be impressive)

Lot better if 2m was given to all counties in the province then the clubs would really benefit instead of Cairde Maigh Eo, Club Sligo and the like.

It has actually got to the stage where the GAA needs to bypass the provincial councils and co boards and make a payment to the clubs. The rural clubs and majority of all clubs are running on empty when it comes to funds and are expected to then pay for these pet projects (as was the case in Bekan believe me and in Sligo too)

overinthewest (Sligo) - Posts: 119 - 18/04/2016 14:17:54    1846828

Facility in Bekan is not used by the Mayo county team..... I know for a fact a Mayo club were refused to train there in January because they could not stump up the cash...150 EUR to play there....money would have been better off divided up between all counties. A vanity project for Connacht GAA.

While it is centrally located geographically in Connacht...it appears the facility is used mainly by schools.

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11231 - 18/04/2016 15:02:58    1846864

Galway and the West need investment. When was the last time a Connacht team won an All Ireland? or even a Senior league title?
Unless there is investment soon, we will have permanent Dublin / Kerry /Kilkenny wins.

galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 2519 - 18/04/2016 15:41:22    1846894

The biggest capital project error was upgrading Pearse Stadium. Its basically at the mercy of the atlantic. If theres one thing that ruins a game, its wind and Galway has plenty of it. I see that Pat Lam is looking for a new stadium. The sportsground needs upgrading. Its rarely full. I think the GAA could make some money and really show some sporting spirit if they brought foward a motion to open up Pearse stadium for rugby. Its coming down the tracks anyway

bloodyban (Limerick) - Posts: 1710 - 18/04/2016 15:49:21    1846898

"Galway and the West need investment. When was the last time a Connacht team won an All Ireland? or even a Senior league title?
Unless there is investment soon, we will have permanent Dublin / Kerry /Kilkenny wins."

Mayo footballers & Galway hurlers have been at the business end of the championship on numerous occasions recently. It's not down to facilities that they didn't get over the line!

keeper7 (Longford) - Posts: 4088 - 18/04/2016 15:57:43    1846906

In fairness Galwayford, Connacht has been responsible for only 14 All-Ireland senior football championship wins in the entire history of the game, and we already have a Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence. What would you have the GAA do? It's hardly their fault that the centre of excellence for Galway hurling went down the swannee, or that Mayo and Roscommon have built up debts at various stages in the last couple of decades. Counties need to take responsibilities for their own state of affairs rather than playing the poor mouth all the time.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 18/04/2016 15:58:38    1846907

Bekan, abbotstown and the supposed national hurling centre of excellence are all waste of money, like spending 70m poor designed 45k stadium in cork, when a 25k stadium would have been more then enough. Don't know what Galway co board were thinking building a stadium between a city and the sea or indeed building 2 separate centre of excellence for the footballers and the hurlers. The crowds connaught rugby gets would be lost in a big ground like salthill. Connaught rugby could do with building a 12k stadium maybe on the rugby grounds on the tuam road.

ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 18/04/2016 16:04:42    1846912

You mean Corinthians ground?

Seriously now. Too much wind in Salthill. It can get very blustery in Salthill but what ground in Ireland doesn't have wind? For me Pearse Stadium is awful because Tuam Stadium was class. Great location, it was in bad repair and parking was dodge but the pre and post march atmosphere when the pitch is right in the town was class. Having a few great pubs in the vicinity of a ground where rival supporters mingle freely is mighty. Good for supporters and good for Tuam. Pearse Stadium isn't anywhere near as well located.

For similar reasons Connacht Rugby shouldn't move out of the Sportsground, a short walk from Eyre Square.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 7345 - 18/04/2016 16:30:30    1846924

Galway and the West need investment. When was the last time a Connacht team won an All Ireland? or even a Senior league title?
Unless there is investment soon, we will have permanent Dublin / Kerry /Kilkenny wins.

galwayford (Galway) - Posts:493 - 18/04/2016 15:41:22


You said on another thread that Galway would win an All Ireland in the next 10 years. Which is it?

And why is it "Galway and the west" needs investment like the rest of us in Connacht are just appendages of Galway? Why not just "the west"?

the_walls (Mayo) - Posts: 495 - 18/04/2016 19:53:10    1846998

Galwayford .. put a small bit of thought into your posts before you start rambling!

Belclare1 (Galway) - Posts: 1626 - 19/04/2016 08:14:58    1847045

Nonsense in fairness. Connacht has a centre of excellence and it is located in a very central area in the province. What more do you want?
Some of you galway lads seem to want the thing to be in Eyre Square before ye will stop whinging.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 19/04/2016 10:10:22    1847078

Tuam is an awful stadium g&r. Was down at it for the league game on Easter Sunday. Players had to walk in through the crowd to get to the changing rooms, view blocked from stand (shed). Although i do agree that with a bit of investment it has the potential to be a great stadium. It's in a great location and getting into it isn't to bad either.

gotmilk (Fermanagh) - Posts: 4971 - 19/04/2016 10:33:40    1847095

Nonsense in fairness. Connacht has a centre of excellence and it is located in a very central area in the province. What more do you want?
Some of you galway lads seem to want the thing to be in Eyre Square before ye will stop whinging.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts:15382 - 19/04/2016 10:10:22 1

Well, it would be closer to SuperMacs that way.

Building separate infrastructure for Hurlers and Footballers was madness. If this is how the CB manage funding, it's no wonder central doesn't want to give them any.....

Jaden (Dublin) - Posts: 139 - 19/04/2016 10:37:19    1847097

Competitions are essentially inter county and not inter provincial and Galway is possibly the biggest county in Ireland that has poor facilities. We have 2 good teams unlike most other counties and the players and mgmt are saying that grounds are sub standard. You have to go with their word.

suckvalleypaddy (Galway) - Posts: 1669 - 19/04/2016 10:45:14    1847103

Nonsense in fairness. Connacht has a centre of excellence and it is located in a very central area in the province. What more do you want?
Some of you galway lads seem to want the thing to be in Eyre Square before ye will stop whinging.

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts:15382 - 19/04/2016 10:10:22 1847078

You are well used to a bit of whining yourself..
Prenty park is another shambles that no thought went into.. I was there recently for a big colleges game and the weather was terrible. The problem was that there is absolutely no shelter for anyone, the crowd, the sideline, the media ( as in a few reporters from the local papers in Galway and Mayo) and everyone was saturated .. its probably fine as a training facility but not to host any type of game..
Master what is the centre of excellence in Mayo used for?
Are the Mayo teams using it?

Belclare1 (Galway) - Posts: 1626 - 19/04/2016 11:17:53    1847126