Clare adamant Cusack Park will be ready for Limerick clash

Clare officials face a major battle against the clock to have the main stand at Cusack Park open for business this weekend.

County Board chairman Joe Cooney yesterday confirmed Cusack Park will stage this Sunday’s Allianz HL Division 1B promotion decider, despite concerns that the redevelopment project would not be complete on time.

The main stand at the Ennis venue has been closed off to spectators since last July’s Munster U21 hurling final and while the €2.3m facelift was expected to be finished come the start of the leagues in late January, work is still ongoing at the ground less than six days out from the Limerick-Clare league clash.

A two-hour site meeting was held yesterday involving members of the contracting team and Clare County Board to determine whether or not Cusack Park would be in a position to host the fixture given the number of jobs still to be completed.

Both the Clare and Kerry hurling teams were forced into makeshift dressing-rooms for last Sunday’s Division 1B fixture given the main dressing-rooms and toilets still have to be tiled.

Tarmacadam has also yet to be laid behind the stand.

It had been hoped the redeveloped stand would be open for the visit of the Kerry hurlers, but when spectators were again confined to the three terraces, concern grew home advantage may have to be conceded to Limerick for this weekend’s crunch fixture owing to health and safety concerns.

County Board chairman Cooney revealed the Gaelic Grounds would have been looked at as an alternative venue had Banner officials not been able to guarantee yesterday that all work would be signed off by the weekend.

The Clare coffers also stood to take a major hit as the host county is awarded 20% of gate receipts from a league fixture.

Development work nearly complete at Cusack Park pic.twitter.com/RgKe8Y4Sbe

— Kerry GAA (@Kerry_Official) March 13, 2016

“If we weren’t in a position to open all four areas this Sunday, consideration would have to be given to where the game would have been played,” said Cooney.

“The capacity of the stadium with just the three terraces open is around 10,000 and I am not sure if that would be sufficient to cater for the large crowd we expect this weekend.

“We had our meeting and it is all systems go for Sunday.

“We will be ready. There’s work to be done and we are focused on getting it done.”

Cooney continued: “We had hoped to have this project finished earlier in the year but given the weather was so bad, it delayed work on several occasion. The bottom line is that it is all systems go for Sunday.”

The regeneration project, which also included a new roof being placed on the main stand, the installation of extra seats and improved media facilities, will greatly increase the capacity of the ground.

“We expect when word comes back from Dublin that the capacity will fall somewhere in between 15-20,000.”