Traffic blamed for Pearse chaos

The Connacht council have blamed traffic congestion en route to Salthill for the chaotic scenes outside Pearse Stadium at last Saturday night's fourth round football qualifier between Galway and Westmeath.

The stadium was closed to the public until 50 minutes before throw-in, despite a huge crowd forming at the turnstiles, because provincial treasurer Jim Meehan was delayed in traffic. Entry to the game was cash only and Meehan was in possession of the change.

The official attendance was recorded as 9,920, but Connacht council secretary John Prenty estimated around 12,000 gained entry to the ground, although other informed sources put the figure closer to the 20,000 mark.

Prenty admitted the organisers were caught unaware by the turnout, citing recent attendances of the competing counties as a guide. Around 1,000 Westmeath supporters travelled to Sligo for the previous round, while only 7,153 attended Pearse Stadium for Galway's game against Sligo on May 27th.

"Looking at the overall situation we didn't expect such a big crowd," he said. "We'll have to learn from that in future - and people will have to learn to come a bit earlier.

"But the delay in opening the gates was primarily caused by the major traffic chaos around the city due to the huge influx of people for the Arts Festival and the start of Race Week."

One unmanned gate was opened - it is unconfirmed whether this was done forcibly or as a safety measure - and allowed thousands of supporters into the ground free of charge.

"I'm not sure exactly what happened but some people did gain entry for free through one gate. But the turnstiles remained open until half-time," explained Prenty.

He said a Garda request to delay throw-in was rejected as it arrived only five minutes before the 7pm start and the teams were already on the field.

Galway football chairman Pat Egan was less diplomatic about the lack of planning that left so many angry punters outside the venue after the game had begun.

"It was a disaster and a really bad reflection on Pearse Stadium," said Egan. "The Connacht council were in charge of the fixture. Those on the gate should have been in place by 5pm, but no one arrived with change until 6.10pm. The queues were ridiculous and unnecessary.

"When a gate opened below the main gate some pressure was relieved, but when the Connacht council finally set up only four turnstiles were initially opened. That really added insult to injury.

"9,920 were clicked through the gates but there was around 15,000 in the ground, including children it was closer to 20,000."

Meanwhile, the problem of pitch invasions was evident again in Pearse Stadium on Saturday night. Westmeath supporters flooded onto the field after their historic victory, with little resistance put up by the stewards on duty.

"Voluntary stewards are some of the nicest people in the world, but they can hardly be expected to do a professional job," said Westmeath county board chairman Séamus Whelan.

"After beating Galway in their own backyard the Westmeath people were delirious with excitement."

This is the latest in a long line of pitch incursions this summer, with the hardened state of the Croke Park surface blamed on Dublin fans emptying Hill 16 after the Leinster football final.

There was an altercation between Cork hurler Jerry O'Connor and a Limerick man on the pitch moments before the second half of the All-Ireland quarter-final in Thurles. Several Cork players were able to surround the intruder before stewards intervened.

The problem was discussed at Saturday's Central Council meeting and an increase in security will be in place for the coming games at Croke Park. A publicity campaign, involving team managers, will also be televised on the big screen to highlight the safety risks.