Donegal blame church for fixture change

[Blue Boy]

Donegal spokesman Seamus O'Donnell has claimed that the church are behind the GAA's decision to re-fix the county's National League clash with Fermanagh on Easter Sunday.

The game had been originally scheduled for a Saturday night throw-in under lights at Sean McCumhaill Park in Ballybofey.

The GAA's Competition Control Committee did stipulate when the fixture plan was laid out that this fixture was subject to change based on the satisfactory completion of floodlighting at the ground.

Donegal issued a statement on Thursday afternoon stating that the venue would have been fully equipped with lights if the fixture had remained fixed for the Saturday.

"Erection of the floodlighting was on schedule and would have been available on the Saturday night had the fixture been to allowed stand," said O'Donnell.

"We believe the real reason the fixtures were changed, was because the church authorities had requested it.

"It is sad to think that in 2007 the church can still dictate when we play our National games."

[Tubberman]

That a piss-take!? 

[J70]

That a piss-take!? 

One would hope so!

[Blue Boy]

Nope it's on Setanta Sports website - http://ie.setanta.com/portal/article/gaa?open&articleid=2e8392ed2e7e465d8025729f005adc3d

[phpearse]

Heard that story before, perhaps on here. Didn't the priest say that with the crowds going to the match and vigil mass that he asked the GAA to play the match some other time, stating that people enjoy going to Easter Sunday vigil mass. I'd the good GAA followers of Donegal would rather see their team play than attend evening mass.

Dosen't it also mean that all other games in 1A now have to be played on Sunday, as that was the plan to play all final games at the same time to avoid anyone getting an unfair advantage, with points difference being some important this year.

[muppet]

 Could they not have moved the mass? 

[dublinfella]

Could they not have moved the mass? 

could they not have told them to f**k off?

[J70]

the mass... the match... the mass... the match...

Tough choice!

No wonder the priests want the game moved!

[J70]

Meanwhile, at church...
   
   Rev. Lovejoy:  [surveys his congregation, one man and two old ladies]

        Well, I'm glad some people could resist the lures of the big game.

   Man: Oh, my God!  I forgot the game!  [rushes out]

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

This is an old story, if the throw in time was the same as the start time for Mass then a bit of consideration has to be shown.
Also given the proximity of McCumhaill park to the Chapel in Ballybofey then wise up lads, the Mass has it hands down!

[Flat Hedgehog]

I think the chapel and the football pitch in Ballybofey share the same car park. That's why the local PP asked for the game to be changed.

[Tubberman]

Well that sounds very like the 1950s to me. I couldn't give a fiddlers fck what the PP thinks to be honest. It's amazing that they can dictate where an inter-county football match is played in 2007 - I thought people had moved beyond the days of pandering to the almighty church

[winghalfun]

Jesus lads (no pun intended), listen to Gaoth Dobhair Abu. 

This is an old story, if the throw in time was the same as the start time for Mass then a bit of consideration has to be shown.
Also given the proximity of McCumhaill park to the Chapel in Ballybofey then wise up lads, the Mass has it hands down!

He is right. It seems perfectly reasonable that if you take a considerable crowd going to an Easter Saturday vigil mass and a considerable crowd going to an inter-county football match, both apparently sharing the same parking facilities then one will have to give.
Considering the status of both events, even the most heathenistic among you would realise who would take precedence. 

The issue seems to be pure logistics.

[phpearse]

But with the church not rescheduling mass to another time, every other divison 1A game needed to be rescheduled to the Sunday.

[Tubberman]

He is right. It seems perfectly reasonable that if you take a considerable crowd going to an Easter Saturday vigil mass and a considerable crowd going to an inter-county football match, both apparently sharing the same parking facilities then one will have to give.
Considering the status of both events, even the most heathenistic among you would realise who would take precedence.

Which would draw a bigger crowd - an inter-county football match or a mass? I'd be pretty sure it would be the match. So shouldn't the match get precedence in that case. The mass would only draw a couple of hundred max I'd say so they could both go ahead at the same time I'd have thought