Waterford chairman Paddy Joe Ryan conscious of debt risk for clubs

Waterford chairman Paddy Joe Ryan says he will not burden clubs with “massive debt” so as to guarantee Munster championship hurling at Walsh Park.

Were the GAA’s recommended changes to the Liam MacCarthy Cup to receive the green light, the knockout structure of the Munster SHC would be replaced by a round-robin format for a three-year trial period (2018-20) where Clare, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, and Waterford would all face each other, playing two games at home and two away.

It is probable that Waterford would not be in a position to stage their home fixtures given the capacity of Walsh Park stands at 12,000 — June 1996 was the last occasion Walsh Park hosted a provincial hurling championship game, with Tipperary recording a 1-14 to 1-11 quarter-final victory in front of a crowd of 15,655.