Any word of the groups or the fixtures for this year?
no Mickey Harte hasnt decided yet
I heard most of the games where to be played under lights midweek and the whole thing be over very quickly.
Why don't Tyrone use the Mc Kenna cup as their trials ? Good competitive matches -
Quote from: orangeman on October 12, 2007, 01:34:02 PM
Why don't Tyrone use the Mc Kenna cup as their trials ? Good competitive matches -
This is a very good option, also let the players play for the university teams thereby not reducing the number of players receviing exposure but increase it to it max potential. Yes it is nice to win something early in the year and breed confidence but there is no point doing this to the detriment of the development of the
Squad
Most importantly, will the Ulster Council have listened to any of the feedback from this year's competition regarding:
Prices (£7)
Programmes (or lack of - and no club details)
and most importantly....
Venues (did somebody mention Irvinestown?)
Lets see prices capped at a fiver and a requirement for all venues to have a covered stand capable of holding at least 500. Lets not punish the hardcore fans who go turn out for their counties at this time of year. Let lessons be learnt and let the Ulster Council demonstrate that they're listening to the grassroots.
Absolutely Maguire01. Also could somebody remind the guys at the gates that universities are involved and that there should be student prices. Ive been refused a few times in the past.
I've heard students complain a lot - there should be a student discount ok.
matches under lights..
thanks Armagh fcuked...We've hardly got a pitch, never mind lights...
Quote from: fcuksake on October 14, 2007, 09:24:03 PM
matches under lights..
thanks Armagh fcuked...We've hardly got a pitch, never mind lights...
Sorry, 'THATS ARMAGH FCUKED'.. ::)
Brewster Park won't be ready until April so Fermanagh wouldn't have a venue suitable for hosting mid week games during the winter.
Be chancy about Omagh then, 'cause they kept blowing a fuse today.
Think they got the whole thing sorted near the end though ziggy. They had the lights on in the stand and the control tower was still lit aswell as the mic working too. Took them long enough mind you!!!
Quote from: FermPundit on October 14, 2007, 09:27:56 PM
Brewster Park won't be ready until April so Fermanagh wouldn't have a venue suitable for hosting mid week games during the winter.
Was Brewster Park not supposed to have been ready for last year's championship? What's going on there? I'm not going back to Irvinestown!
Quote from: Maguire01 on October 14, 2007, 09:52:02 PM
Quote from: FermPundit on October 14, 2007, 09:27:56 PM
Brewster Park won't be ready until April so Fermanagh wouldn't have a venue suitable for hosting mid week games during the winter.
Was Brewster Park not supposed to have been ready for last year's championship? What's going on there? I'm not going back to Irvinestown!
I think I'm right in saying Brewster Park was due to ready for the middle of the summer just gone but because of the bad weather that we experienced during those months the completion date was put back. I don't really mind how ling it takes as long as the job is done properly.
I agree with your comments about Irvinestown. It's was a disgraceful venue for any match let alone an intercounty one. There was enough complaints about the state of the ground from within the county that I'll be very surprised if the county board fix any games here for the forseeable future.
From Hogan Stand.com
QuoteThe Ulster Council is to stage all of next year's Dr McKenna Cup games under floodlights.
Provincial bosses met on Tuesday night to decide on the schedule for the pre-season competition which was overshadowed by a player eligibility controversy earlier this year. And in an effort to avoid a repeat of that, the Council has decreed that third level colleges will again have first call on players.
Ulster Council spokesman Michael Hasson said: "Universities have the first choice. That was the case last year but not everybody bought into it.
"It will be policed under the new rules. Once the universities put in the names of the players they want, then the counties put in the names they want. There will be a wee bit of leeway then for the counties and the universities to thrash out any disagreements."
The Council is confident that it will be able to run off the competition in three weeks with the final taking place on January 26, possibly at Casement Park.
...and what about what the player wants???
I hope they dont over do the number of games being played under lights for the mckenna cup and league. All but one of Tyrone's league games were under lights last year and personally I would have preferred a view Sunday one's. Night time in January isnt the most plesent time to be heading out to watch a game of football.
So any dates and venues confirmed?
I agree Dreamer - let's get back to Sunday afternoons for the games.
It's a bit of a problem then that Monaghan have no match standard floodlit grounds. Do we just not get any home games then?
Stop being greedy - you's already got to play the ulster final at home. Dont know what way its going to work, Im sure Monaghan arent the only county without a ground of sufficient size with floodlights. Come to think of it Armagh havent even got a decent ground without floodlights.
Armagh - no floodlights ? Are they being installed at the Athletic gorunds presently as part of the redevelopment ?
Quote from: Tyrone Dreamer on October 20, 2007, 03:00:00 PM
Stop being greedy - you's already got to play the ulster final at home. Dont know what way its going to work, Im sure Monaghan arent the only county without a ground of sufficient size with floodlights. Come to think of it Armagh havent even got a decent ground without floodlights.
Well it's not like there's a massive home adantage with McKenna cup games anyway, but when you have 3 group games, surely you should have your home and away fixtures? Does Crossmaglen not have floodlights? I thought Monaghan was the last Ulster county without floodlights for some reason. If not, then we have at least 2 counties who can't have home games.
Oh, and as for the Ulster Final being at home, i'd say that Tyrone, Armagh, Donegal, probably Derry too, have played more championship games in Clones over the past 10/15 years anyway, so i don't think Monaghan have any massive home advantage there.
Does anyone know the fixtures yet??
Quote from: orangeman on October 20, 2007, 03:56:40 PM
Armagh - no floodlights ? Are they being installed at the Athletic gorunds presently as part of the redevelopment ?
Yes, The Athletic Grounds are amongst the next on the list, so if the work hasn't begun yet it should do shortly.
What is the state of play in the Athletic grounds? It seems to be years and years since there was a game there.
I saw machinery at it last week - work must have started recently.
It was all a lie!
QuoteUlster Council denies floodlit reports
23 October 2007
The Ulster Council has denied reports that next year's Dr McKenna Cup will be played entirely under floodlights.
The provincial body is keen to play more of its pre-season inter-county football competition under lights in order to adhere to new guidelines and complete the tournament within three weeks. But owing to the fact that a number of counties in the province still don't have floodlit facilities, the Council is not in a position to play all the games at night.
An Ulster Council official confirmed that "some, but not all" of the McKenna Cup games will take place under lights, with the competition due to get underway on Sunday, January 6.
As far as I know the only venues with lights up to standard are Casement, Newry Ballybofey, Clones and Omagh. Maybe Celtic Park but I'm not sure.But for floodlight games you need more than lighhts for the players, you need proper safe access lighting for people getting in and out, and decent toilets etc.
Ever try to come down the steps from the stand at Casement after a winter game? Hazardous is too kind a word - should not be allowed to host such a game with these unsafe gangways (usually unlit as well). Plus the toilets are an utter disgrace. The next time I see such a fixture I will notify Health & Safety - they would defiinitely close it down.
What is the point in putting lights up at Athletic grounds when the rest of the facilities are a shambles?
2008 Mc Kenna Cup still being staged in 19th century venues as far spectators are concerned - dull told elly looks the better bet.
Quote from: Leo on October 24, 2007, 01:37:02 PM
The next time I see such a fixture I will notify Health & Safety.
Jesus, thats just want we need alright. health and Safety brigade landing.
Maybe they can get rid of the 3rd man tackle too ;)
Celtic park is getting them installed at the minute. to be in place by Christmas. Or so they say.
The place is cold enough in the summer. Can just imagine what temperature the concrete "seats" get to in January.
Quote from: Leo on October 24, 2007, 01:37:02 PM
As far as I know the only venues with lights up to standard are Casement, Newry Ballybofey, Clones and Omagh. Maybe Celtic Park but I'm not sure.But for floodlight games you need more than lighhts for the players, you need proper safe access lighting for people getting in and out, and decent toilets etc.
Ever try to come down the steps from the stand at Casement after a winter game? Hazardous is too kind a word - should not be allowed to host such a game with these unsafe gangways (usually unlit as well). Plus the toilets are an utter disgrace. The next time I see such a fixture I will notify Health & Safety - they would defiinitely close it down.
What is the point in putting lights up at Athletic grounds when the rest of the facilities are a shambles?
2008 Mc Kenna Cup still being staged in 19th century venues as far spectators are concerned - dull told elly looks the better bet.
Breffni park also has excellent lights. Held 3 out 4 home games in the league under lights last season.
Quote from: Leo on October 24, 2007, 01:37:02 PM
As far as I know the only venues with lights up to standard are Casement, Newry Ballybofey, Clones and Omagh. Maybe Celtic Park but I'm not sure.But for floodlight games you need more than lighhts for the players, you need proper safe access lighting for people getting in and out, and decent toilets etc.
Ever try to come down the steps from the stand at Casement after a winter game? Hazardous is too kind a word - should not be allowed to host such a game with these unsafe gangways (usually unlit as well). Plus the toilets are an utter disgrace. The next time I see such a fixture I will notify Health & Safety - they would defiinitely close it down.
What is the point in putting lights up at Athletic grounds when the rest of the facilities are a shambles?
2008 Mc Kenna Cup still being staged in 19th century venues as far spectators are concerned - dull told elly looks the better bet.
Clones doesn't have floodlights.
19th century venues aren't restricted to the McKenna Cup. How many Ulster venues would you truly describe as being of a 20th century standard? Not one, in my opinion.
Have a look at Park Esler - still some work to do, but superbly finished, great viewing terraces and magnificent stand with two-tier press box! New dressing rooms on the way and more covered accommodation planned but definitley head and shoulders above the rest.
What ever happened to the tickets people bought about 10 years ago in aid of building the Cardinal O'Fee (or something like that) stand at the athletics ground, since this has never happened did the people who bought the tickets get their money back or was the money squandered away?
Squandered - stole - misplaced - it's all the same - the money is gone !
Quote from: Leo on October 25, 2007, 01:05:50 PM
Have a look at Park Esler - still some work to do, but superbly finished, great viewing terraces and magnificent stand with two-tier press box! New dressing rooms on the way and more covered accommodation planned but definitley head and shoulders above the rest.
Yes, but compare it to some modern stadia in the UK and the rest of Eurpoe and it falls well short - take the Liberty Stadium in Swansea as an example:
(http://www.fmccatering.co.uk/images/image_gallery/liberty/web_images/IMG_0767.jpg)
(http://www.fmccatering.co.uk/images/image_gallery/liberty/web_images/birds_eye_stadium.jpg)
or
(http://www.newryshamrocks.org//images/photo_gallery/pairc_esler3.jpg)
(
bearing in mind that the bright sunny day is not a regular visit to Newry!)Similar capacity to Newry (c.20,000) but a world of difference is there not? In comparison to other GAA grounds in Ulster, Newry looks good, but on a wider stage, it's still 19th Century stuff.
It's the same as my recent points on another topic regarding the programme of increasing capacity in Munster - forget it, bring you stadia up to standard first and then see if you might need to consider increasing capacity.
There is a difference, the stadium in Swansea looks and plain and lacks character compared to Newry. Thats a fantastic stadium in Newry and just about right for a county ground were championship matches arent played that often. A lot of gaa people like standing anyway for big games and the stand will cover most who want to go to it during winter/spring for league games when the weather is bad.
I cant get over this fascination people wanting Gaelic grounds to be like English(or Welsh !) Soccer ones.
We dont need all seater nonsense - 5000 covered seats isplenty with maybe 5000 covered terrace and the rest open.
Our grounds are filled occasionally while the Professional business that is soccer takes place regularly every fortnight.
Newry is a great ground....... on a lovely summer day. Like Down v Monaghan this year. When it's normal Irish weather it's not so nice.
Yes, i take the point that our grounds are not filled as regularly - that's where the GAA has to make some strategic decisions at the top and only develop a couple of grounds with bigger capacity.
Better grounds would attract bigger crowds - i'd have little doubt about that.
Yes Rossfan, we don't need all-seater. But some covered terracing would be nice. A league game in Casement on the terraces is not the most luxurious experience.
Our grounds don't have to be 100% enclosed or covered. But what's wrong with having covered stands that aren't like barns? (e.g. Casement again, and numerous others - hundreds of tons of concrete right the way around, how many times has it been full? ever? If half that money had been used to rebuild an extended stand right down one side of the ground, it would have been money better spent!)
Also, where there is seats, why can the GAA not just invest in plastic individual seats - like Newry! - look at Clones, a relatively recent stand, yet 90% are still on wooden benches, your spot separated by a rusted iron bar.
And again, facilities - toilets - not just a pipe and a drainhole!
There must be a happy medium surely?
I would be in favour of putting a cover over terraces, would be a great job for Omagh. I think it works well at Parnell Park. It means everyone can be dry and helps to create a better atmosphere with the noise being kept in.
A cover would be nice -
Quote from: tram on October 25, 2007, 01:11:37 PM
Could Kinawley not hold floodlight matches for Fermanagh?
Don't think the lights are strong enough. The County Board have allowed games to be played there but unsure if 'officially' the lights are up to standard. Anyway kinawley does not have the facilities to hold a county game.
In agreement with Rossfan, Tyrone Dreamer & Orangeman that huge numbers of GAA fans - especially teenage to thirties - want to stand on terraces. Futher agree that the greater part of the terracing should be covered - not a huge expense - and that this is planned for Newry as the next stage of that project.
It is also the case that good facilities attract bigger crowds - proiven statistics show this.
However, good as Newry is, how often will it be used? I think Ulster Council should have developed 2 major venues - say Casement and Breffni (rather than Cloines) - casement to 5,0,000 and Breffni to 30,000 - with seating for about 20% at each and covered terracing on the opposite side to the stand. All Ulster Cahmionship games to be played at one or othet of these grounds. Allc ounty grounds to be developed for 10,000 - m12,000 which would cater fro all Nat League & other fixtures - each to hae 4,000 -5,000 coveres seats and agin plenty of covered terravcing. Maybe too late fot that now.
Why Breffni instead of Clones? Well desopie the Cavan man's reputation you dont get the rip-off mentality in Cavan town that exists in Clones and the new roads make it a more sensible venue.