Ryan slams ‘crazy’ Páirc stewarding

Cork chairman Bob Ryan claimed the extra stewarding provided at Sunday’s Munster football final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh was unnecessarily excessive.

Dublin company Frontline Security were hired by the Munster Council to operate at the game, where they were dotted around the perimeter of the pitch during the game.

At the final whistle, they cordoned off the presentation area, as they have done in Croke Park for finals. Afterwards, they also restricted entry in the tunnel area around the players’ dressing rooms, seemingly to allow the teams and officials to return there without going through the crowd. They will again be operating at next Sunday’s hurling final, where the security firm could have a stronger presence to reflect the larger attendance. The Irish Examiner understands experienced event management is part of the requirement to stage the finals at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, as set out by the health and safety advisors.

It was effectively a dry run ahead of the hurling decider when Páirc Uí Chaoimh’s revised capacity will be reached. Only 21,028 attended last weekend.

However, Ryan took issue with the need for what he believed was an extremely heavy approach for the football match. “We had nothing to do with it and in my opinion it was way over the top. It was crazy and I don’t believe it is necessary, not in this province. It was so over the top it was frightening, how we could even think we had to go down this road. I’d be very much in favour of anything that assists health and safety measures but this isn’t the way forward.”

Meanwhile, a delegation including Munster Council secretary Simon Moroney was in Cork yesterday evening to see if there can be any further increase in stadium capacity ahead of the Cork-Limerick game.

Two weeks ago, the council’s Competitions Control Committee gave the go-ahead for the stadium to stage the match but highlighted the capacity at the time was 32,168. However, remedial work has since taken place and the hope is the number can hit the late 30,000s.

No family tickets have been made available for the game, while no tickets have gone on public sale.