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And the clubs you named all have the required standard floodlights for inter county matches to start with? How would it be up the U20 manager and his selectors to decide where such a game is played? They can request all they like but at the end of the day Kenny McKinley doesn't make these calls. I would say the county board have to nominate a home ground to Leinster Council from the beginning of the year and there's a arrangement put in place then for Kinnegad to host the midweek U20/minor games. The county board sees Kinnegad as the best viable alternative to Cusack Park.
iarmhiabu (Westmeath) - Posts: 149 - 20/04/2025 19:07:18 2603162 Link 0 |
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Yes as far as I'm aware they have the required floodlights; Kinnegad is a fantastic venue nobody on here is doubting that. There just seems to be a feeling that the county board could share the load with some of the clubs down towards the south in a bid to improve support for the county team from those areas. I do find it curious that the manager of a team wouldn't have a say in the venue in which his team is playing as it may suit style of play etc. Maybe this is common practice amongst all counties, if so then I am happy to be wrong. It just seems on here that people have to attack at every opportunity when an opinion is put out that they don't agree with.
OverTheHill85 (Westmeath) - Posts: 65 - 20/04/2025 20:18:54 2603207 Link 1 |
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Athlones lights are woeful. Kinnegad not bad Lomans probably best in the county.
Chops (Westmeath) - Posts: 797 - 21/04/2025 21:08:54 2603496 Link 0 |
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Totally agree I think Westmeath is only one of 2 counties do not let their minors play up these lads need the games cannot understand the reasoning at all
Grey1 (Westmeath) - Posts: 2 - 22/04/2025 10:09:50 2603571 Link 1 |
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Totally agree has been a disaster and to be honest really badly thought out clubs are constantly under pressure €100 is a lot for any individual and this is only stage one of the development.
Grey1 (Westmeath) - Posts: 2 - 22/04/2025 10:24:27 2603579 Link 2 |
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Yes but we are all on here complaining that we do not have facilities yet when an opportunity is presented to help get this initiative off the ground we do not support it. You may not like the campaign but it is a campaign nonetheless. Get behind it or go support soccer or rugby. I have my ticket, yes it is a lot of money but its what we have to do as GAA Supporters. I am proud to say I have done my bit for my County.
Meridian (Westmeath) - Posts: 675 - 23/04/2025 09:34:03 2603802 Link 0 |
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Don't let a simple thing such as facts get in the way of your argument
Claretandblue (Westmeath) - Posts: 2128 - 23/04/2025 11:29:35 2603831 Link 0 |
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Good on you. But regardless, shifting blame to clubs for underselling is simply a deflection from the failure of the marketing team. Why bother putting money into marketing at all if the onus was going to be on the clubs. We all need to get behind the fundraiser where we can but it doesn't detract from the failure to promote the fundraiser to a wider audience
Iakecounty90 (Westmeath) - Posts: 10 - 23/04/2025 12:12:22 2603839 Link 1 |
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Listen we have 47 male clubs most of us with 100 members.If we are GAA supporters let's stop moaning and if we can afford it buy a ticket.If we can't let's buy a share in one.We need the center for the youth and whatever about the ins and outs of the draw we the clubs and members can make it work for the good of all in Westmeath and especially the generations to come.
jobber (Westmeath) - Posts: 1686 - 23/04/2025 13:40:52 2603865 Link 0 |
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I think the big issue with the fundraiser is that the county board went and purchased some of the most expensive land available to them putting them on the back foot immediately. As many posters suggested the location alienates the Athlone direction and surrounding clubs. They should of looked at better areas. Dazzler30 (Westmeath) - Posts: 43 - 23/04/2025 15:28:59 2603880 Link 0 |
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We've had plenty of opportunities to do it better and cheaper. It should have been done 20 years ago when Westmeath GAA was on the crest of a wave and support was in a better place. It also could have been done 5 or 6 years ago before property and materials costs went through the roof. Westmeath county board have sat on their hands and hoped the golden goose would come to them for too long. Just like Cusack park in the early 90's it's a shambles. Chops (Westmeath) - Posts: 797 - 23/04/2025 16:37:55 2603899 Link 0 |
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How does it alienate Athlone? Mullingar is as close to the center of the county as you can get. If a player gets seriously injured they are close to Mullingar and Tullamore hospitals. It caters to all clubs hurling and football clubs to have it there. Where do you propose to put it?? If you put it say at Loughnavalley you isolate Finea, Ballycomoyle, Clonmellon etc. Where is better?? Put it somewher like Rathconrath the road infrastructure from any side is not great.
Chops (Westmeath) - Posts: 797 - 23/04/2025 19:35:40 2603917 Link 0 |
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I really believe the county board have got this fundraiser very very wrong! Who in truth really wants to win the home in Spain? If the prize was a home in one of our towns in mullingar or athlone they would have no problem selling tickets. Young people in this country cannot afford homes so they would bite your hand off at a chance to win one in a town like mullingar or athlone, not Spain! Tailteannchamps (Westmeath) - Posts: 38 - 23/04/2025 19:51:01 2603918 Link 1 |
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Athlone to mullingar approx 45 mins putting it somewhere like kilbeggan or tyrellspass on the motor way for a far cheaper land price makes way more sense in a time sense ballcomoyle and finea are about the same 45 mins to these places. the location of Mullingar is not where i have the main issue its that they bought the most expensive land about and makes it a huge uphill battle. leans towards that Mullingar bias that people talk about and i would assume the ticket sales are so poor because people cant get behind what they county board want to do. I have bought a ticket but the original question why is it going so poorly its because the people cant get behind it paying 1 million just for the ground.
Dazzler30 (Westmeath) - Posts: 43 - 24/04/2025 08:26:09 2603982 Link 0 |
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Clonmellon to Loughnavalley = 40 mins Athlone to Loman's = 40 mins Ballycomoyle to Loughnavalley = 43 mins Tubberclair to Loman's = 41 mins Not sure about alienating anyone; a location right next to St. Loman's and Springfield certainly didn't sit well with many. Again, not trying to link it to either club it's just the optics. Why not do a deal with Loughnavalley, buy their grounds and surrounding land and develop their facilities; negotiate their preferences with them during the deal and they would benefit from having improved facilities for their teams while the county board would have a location that I feel everyone would get behind at a much cheaper cost. The infrastructure is good and it's withing 30mins of both hospitals. No matter what people on here feel there's a reason the tickets aren't selling and that's the bottom line. It goes beyond "be a proud Westmeath person and buy a ticket and do your bit". There's people who feel the county board are winging it with this, among many other things discussed before such as facilities at Cusack Park, development of underage in the county and so on and probably feel they could spend their €100 elsewhere. As someone else noted we were on the way up from 2001-2010 and how a COE wasn't developed in that time during the boom when everyone was behind the county is mind boggling. Am I right in saying the cost to buy this land is €1m? How in the name of God did they decide to spend to much on a piece of land that has to be developed to an elite standard with pitches, gym, S&C facilities and so on. That's going to be millions on top of the original cost. Suitable land I'm sure could have been acquired for half of not a quarter of that in a different location. People van talk about alienating Ballycomoyle and all this rubbish but at the end of the day better locations exist. Was it just a complete coincidence to buy land between the two Mullingar clubs at an extortionate price? OverTheHill85 (Westmeath) - Posts: 65 - 24/04/2025 09:25:47 2603989 Link 0 |