Casement Park in line for major overhaul - 40,000 all seater Stadium.

[bannside]

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-gaa-social/id1567027414?i=1000690709250

Good podcast, public opinion swaying very much in Antrims favour on this matter.

The truth of the matter is Antrim players feel that our own county board need to be stronger on the principle that 4K will hold whoever gets in, and thats life. There will be a lot of disappointed Armagh supporters but most of them will forsake their disappointment for seeing this as a matter of principle and pride for Antrim footballers. One day watching their excellent side on the TV won't be the end of the world, there's NFL div 1 matches that will hold a lot more interest for the average Armagh supporter.

[RedHand88]

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-gaa-social/id1567027414?i=1000690709250

Good podcast, public opinion swaying very much in Antrims favour on this matter.

The truth of the matter is Antrim players feel that our own county board need to be stronger on the principle that 4K will hold whoever gets in, and thats life. There will be a lot of disappointed Armagh supporters but most of them will forsake their disappointment for seeing this as a matter of principle and pride for Antrim footballers. One day watching their excellent side on the TV won't be the end of the world, there's NFL div 1 matches that will hold a lot more interest for the average Armagh supporter.

I really don't think public opinion is in their favour on this. Counties give up home advantage all the time when they don't have a suitable ground, why should Antrim be treated as special?

[bannside]

You're entitled to your opinion Red Hand. I have a vested interest in this as a lifetime Antrim supporter, but can't understand your motivation in this as a Tyrone man, and methinks thou doth protest a little too much, unless of course you are connected to Ulster Council....

Listen, I'm hearing loud and clear that not one Antrim footballer will be playing the game if its not in Corrigan, despite any sanctions that may arise. Right now they feel they are being royally shafted not only by Ulster, but by their own county officials who need to adopt a much firmer stance on their behalf.

[Milltown Row2]

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-gaa-social/id1567027414?i=1000690709250

Good podcast, public opinion swaying very much in Antrims favour on this matter.

The truth of the matter is Antrim players feel that our own county board need to be stronger on the principle that 4K will hold whoever gets in, and thats life. There will be a lot of disappointed Armagh supporters but most of them will forsake their disappointment for seeing this as a matter of principle and pride for Antrim footballers. One day watching their excellent side on the TV won't be the end of the world, there's NFL div 1 matches that will hold a lot more interest for the average Armagh supporter.

I really don't think public opinion is in their favour on this. Counties give up home advantage all the time when they don't have a suitable ground, why should Antrim be treated as special?

How many times have Tyrone/Armagh given up home advantage willingly?

[Rossfan]

Antrim footballers play 10 games a year and maybe get 1 page in total on GAAboard.
Antrim say they won't play 1 game and it runs to loads of pages.
Imagine the publicity  if they decided not to play any games for a year.😁

[mackers]

How many times have Tyrone/Armagh given up home advantage willingly?

Armagh did it for years.....

[Milltown Row2]

How many times have Tyrone/Armagh given up home advantage willingly?

Armagh did it for years.....

Willingly? or forced to?

[mackers]

How many times have Tyrone/Armagh given up home advantage willingly?

Armagh did it for years.....

Willingly? or forced to?

Unsure. As an Armagh supporter I don't care where it is played but the Antrim panel are creating a big own goal for themselves with this IMO. If you dig your heels in on something like this you need to back it up with a result.

[Milltown Row2]

How many times have Tyrone/Armagh given up home advantage willingly?

Armagh did it for years.....

Willingly? or forced to?

Unsure. As an Armagh supporter I don't care where it is played but the Antrim panel are creating a big own goal for themselves with this IMO. If you dig your heels in on something like this you need to back it up with a result.

Are you being serious? Back it up with a result? Not sure what the odds are of a team not even in the All Ireland series has against the current champions, that's some batshit crazy shit. But I suppose if Armagh put out their 3rds maybe Antrim could do a Plymouth

[mackers]

Jesus....you'd turn anything into a row.  You're making my point for me.  At least Kildare dug their heels in over a fixture that they were going to be competitive in.

[Spiderlegs]

Can someone tell me why Antrim would want to concede home advantage where they might keep the score down to a respectable level in context of Div 3 team playing All Ireland Champions, never mind facing into it like an away match in front of 15k plus Armagh supporters.

Would be like turkeys voting for Christmas!

Ulster Council need to suck it up because they took eye off the ball and forgot to put that stipulation in place before the draw, and genuine Armagh supporters need to put hand up and say its only fair it's played at Corrigan....and let them watch it on TV for the day if they arnt one of 1780 Armagh season ticket holders (48% of their total)
lucky enough to draw one in an internal Armagh raffle.

The GAA rulebook IS the stipulation.
Ulster Council can change the home venue if need be.

And Antrim can tell them where to go. Be interesting to see what happens then.

I think the rule-book is fairly clear on this - if Antrim (or any county) don't show up to the venue the match is fixed at they would play no football in the championship at all for two years. They could play league football in 2026. Bascially they would be out of the complete championship this year - missing the Armagh match means they would be out of both the Ulster Championship and the All-Ireland series/Tailteann Cup (there's no mechanism for teams to play in the All-Ireland/Tailteann if they don't play in the provincial championship, apart from New York) and then their punishment for not turning up would be a one match ban for the next match in the same competition they didn't turn up for so it would be the Ulster championship as opposed to the league. Being banned from the first game would mean that whoever was drawn against them would proceed to the next round of the Ulster championship and as there would be no mechanism for them to re-enter the Ulster championship, Antrim would play no championship football in 2026 either.

That's what the rules say so I really doubt it will happen that Antrim don't turn up. In the grand GAA tradition I'd say there is high odds that some sort of fudge will occur - the one place we can be pretty sure it won't be played is Casement anyway.

You mention no mechanism to enter the All-Ireland series/Tailteann without going through the province... What rule mentions this? Genuinely curious.

I'd have thought that the league position, in the first instance, dictates the entry into one or other of these competitions and the secondary decider being whether you reach the provincial final or not.

[Milltown Row2]

Jesus....you'd turn anything into a row.  You're making my point for me.  At least Kildare dug their heels in over a fixture that they were going to be competitive in.

I don't think its difficult to understand, Antrim were pulled out of the draw first, they get the home venue which seems ok for league fixtures both Div 1 hurling and Div 3 football, but now the Ulster council says its not going to allow it, due to other issues, not of Antrim's making.

So why did the Ulster council in the first place not have a rule in place for the likes of Antrim that if drawn first they will have to play in a neutral venue, as its been this way since the Ulster council fucked up Casement..

The Ulster council just can't mid stream start moving the goalposts, completely making things up as they go along, but sure it's only Antrim, they aint competitive and they'll do what they are told

[bannside]

Ulster Championship and Tailteean Cup are two different competitions, legislated by different bodies!

Scaremongering at its finest...

Ulster Council citing Health & Safety as a smokescreen for changing the game. Why not just come out and say they badly need the revenue and at least everyone will understand their real motive. (Which most business people will relate to).

The reality is Armagh will get two thousand tickets approximately for their own usage on the day at Corrigan. Same as Antrim.

Game goes on. Principle upheld. Armagh supporters missing out will still waken up on the Monday morning afterwards, most likely still as favourites for Ulster and bigger days out ahead of them.

Let's call this out for what it is and stop insulting peoples intelligence.

[Armaghtothebone]

Can someone tell me why Antrim would want to concede home advantage where they might keep the score down to a respectable level in context of Div 3 team playing All Ireland Champions, never mind facing into it like an away match in front of 15k plus Armagh supporters.

Would be like turkeys voting for Christmas!

Ulster Council need to suck it up because they took eye off the ball and forgot to put that stipulation in place before the draw, and genuine Armagh supporters need to put hand up and say its only fair it's played at Corrigan....and let them watch it on TV for the day if they arnt one of 1780 Armagh season ticket holders (48% of their total)
lucky enough to draw one in an internal Armagh raffle.

Define a genuine Armagh supporter.
I'll take a shot at it.
Someone who never misses a game home or away in the National League Someone who arranges holidays to fit around championship games.
Someone, who, by the time the championship starts will be  £1000 down following Armagh.

Someone who went to Clones year after year to watch Armagh jn the noughties because that's were our games were played to accommodate the crowds. Oh and went to Croke Park to watch Ulster Finals.

Donegal people travelled to Croke Park too for an Ulster Final. No bitching from them.

Wind your necks in Antrim and move the game.

Shoe on other foot, you'll be happy to move?

Absolutely.
Played many games in Clones

[Armaghtothebone]

Give me one single reason Antrim management or players would even contemplate playing this game if its not at Corrigan?

So that people who never miss a single Armagh game all year can get to see it.

Hard to bate a bandwagon crowd. No word of half of them a few years ago

As others seem to be using the BS term I'll use it too.
Was I and many other season  ticket holders jumping on a bandwagon last year  in Carlow ( look it up if you don't know what I'm talking about)

Not much bandwagon  in Cork either for a dead rubber at the end of the league but we were there.
Same faces at every game.

If they want to cut out the ba bandwagon jumpers then allocate the tickets starting with those who have held their season tickets longest. Not a chance the GAA will do anything as sensible as that.