Gaelic Games

Croke Park to host Connacht final between Galway and Mayo

Crowd of 18,000 or possibly more will be allowed attend game on Sunday week

Croke Park will host the Connacht SFC Final between Galway and Mayo on Sunday, July 25th. Photograph: Brian Reilly-Troy/Inpho

Seán Moran's face
Seán Moran
Tue Jul 13 2021 - 20:57

The Connacht football final between Galway and Mayo will be played in Croke Park. The provincial council has confirmed that its biggest fixture will be played outside the province for the first time.

This weekend’s Leinster hurling final and football semi-finals have been authorised for a capacity of 18,000 and Connacht has decided to avail of the greater attendance in Croke Park, given that MacHale Park in Castlebar, the originally designated venue for the match, could only accommodate fewer than 4,000 .

The match on Sunday, July 25th may even be allowed a higher attendance than 18,000 depending on the view of Government. It will throw in at 1.30.

In the 2000s, the Ulster football final moved to Croke Park to enable larger attendances. Donegal-Armagh, twice in 2004 and ’06 and Armagh-Tyrone in 2005, including a replay, were all played at headquarters, attracting crowds of 60,000-plus.