Mayo-Galway Championship clash may be played at a neutral venue 

The mouthwatering provincial quarter-final has been pencilled in for Sunday, April 24, but it remains to be seen if the project on the MacHale Park pitch will have concluded by then

Next summer’s Connacht SFC clash between Mayo and Galway could yet be played at a neutral venue — if pitch resurfacing works at MacHale Park in Castlebar are not completed in time.

The mouthwatering provincial quarter-final has been pencilled in for Sunday, April 24, but it remains to be seen if the project on the MacHale Park pitch (which is estimated to be costing approximately €300,000) will have concluded by then.

A recent county board meeting was told that May 1 had been set as the target date for the reopening of the stadium for hosting matches on the main pitch.

Last year’s Connacht SFC final between Mayo and Galway had been due to be played in Castlebar, but was instead moved to Croke Park by Connacht GAA chiefs in order to cater for a larger crowd due to Covid restrictions on gatherings at outdoor events at the time.

Approximately 14,000-15,000 spectators attended the historic match in Dublin.

However, the ‘home/away’ arrangement that has operated between Mayo and Galway over the years means that this summer’s championship match between the counties is set to be played in Castlebar.

But if MacHale Park was not in a position to host the game, and the counties could not agree on the match being played at a Galway venue instead, then a neutral venue such as Hyde Park in Roscommon or possibly Croke Park could again come into play.

Meanwhile, Mayo and Galway will meet for the first time since last summer’s Connacht decider this Friday evening in the FBD Connacht League at the NUI Galway Connacht GAA Air Dome in Bekan. The match throws-in at 6pm.

Unfortunately, any prospect of a large crowd watching the Connacht heavyweights take to the largest indoor sports air dome in the world has been dashed by the recent rise in Covid cases and subsequent restrictions.

“There were 300 spectators allowed for yesterday evening’s match between Sligo and Leitrim, and I don’t see that changing for Friday evening,” said Connacht GAA secretary John Prenty. “At the moment, we’re allowed to have 50% of our seated capacity of 600, so the 300 tickets for spectators will be allocated via the Galway and Mayo county boards.

“The match is being streamed live by Connacht GAA, so anybody who would like to watch it should keep an eye on social media and just follow the links that will be up there on Friday.

“Anybody who attends the game will have their Covid vaccine certs checked on the way in, and they will obviously be expected to wear a mask as well.”

Current public health restrictions also mean that all matches being played in The Dome must have concluded before 8pm, so if Friday’s game finishes in a draw at the end of normal time, the next team to score will advance to the final.

“Another aspect for supporters to be aware of is that there can only be 26 players in each squad, but each one of those players can be brought on,” said Prenty.

“However, if they’re taken off at any stage, they can’t be brought back on again a second time.”