GAA and Kildare remain at odds over match venue ahead of Saturday’s game

Kildare’s position that Saturday’s Round Three All-Ireland football qualifier against Mayo will be played in St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge, rather than Croke Park, has been buoyed by support from inside and outside the county.

In a quiet year for the Kildare’s senior footballers it’s the first time in a while they’ve managed to be the subject of water-cooler chat among non-diehard fans.

Perhaps Kildare’s most famous son, Christy Moore, tweeted in support.

And Moorefield GAA club, one of the county’s most successful, sent a message of support: “Moorefield GAA are in full support of the Kildare County Board, Cian O’Neill, his management team and the players. We wish them the best of luck in the coming days and encourage our members to show their support for them in St Conleth’s Park this Saturday at 7pm.”

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A poll on the website of local newspaper the Leinster Leader found that 82 per cent approved of Kildare County Board's stance.

First out of the hat

The GAA has insisted that the game will go ahead at Croke Park despite the fact that as the county first out of the hat in the qualifier draw on Monday morning, Kildare, should get a home game.

Croke Park had planned a double header with Cavan v Tyrone earlier in the day followed by the disputed Kildare v Mayo match kicking off at 7pm.

The GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee has indicated a capacity issue is at the centre of the row.

Chairman of the committee, Ned Quinn, was concerned that once all the Mayo supporters with season tickets were allocated there would only be around 4,000 tickets left to divide between both counties.

Mr Quinn was quoted as saying that Kildare could end up with as few as 2,000 fans getting in. He was concerned that there could be some “animosity”, and cited health and safety concerns.

St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge is one of the smaller county grounds with a capacity of only 8,500 when it is unreserved or ticketless – although local sources suggested it could take up to 10,000.

The county board has sought planning permission to redevelop the stadium to have a capacity of 15,000, hopefully by 2020.

‘Attractive proposition’

Kildare County Board said the match “is an attractive proposition for team management, players, sponsors, the business people of Newbridge and surrounding areas, and all of the stakeholders of Kildare GAA”.

“We are not attempting to do anything that contravenes health and safety regulations. We can cater for the fixture at St Conleth’s Park, and it will not cause undue congestion in Newbridge.”

Meanwhile, it is believed Kildare County Board has been inundated by media organisations seeking access to St Conleth’s to witness whatever it is that happens at 7pm on Saturday.