Pitch perfect view at Thomond
It was hard-hat time yesterday as the chairman of the development company, Pat Whelan, showed me around and demonstrated why everything appears to be in absolutely perfect working order for tomorrow’s Heineken Cup clash of Munster and Clermont Auvergne. It mightn’t look a whole lot more than a building site from the outside and perhaps not much better having entered the ground but I am satisfied that most people will be extremely happy with what they encounter once they see the actual playing area.
True, it will be tough on the 13,000 fans should the weather break and the rain falls but wasn’t that always the case. Given the understandable misgivings of many people over the past few months as they wondered how a big game could possibly be played here, the inescapable fact is that magnificent work has been done so that the fire chief and health authorities could be satisfied.
“We were aware that people would believe there was potential danger to 13,000 people on what was perceived as a building site”, said Whelan.
“We had to satisfy the fire chief that we would be able to secure the safety of everybody and that took time. These were understandable fears and the fire chief and his people have been very co-operative.”
Additional seating has helped to swell the capacity to 13,000. Those who have togged off at Thomond Park over the years will marvel at the size of the dressing rooms which have been completed in time for tomorrow’s game and are located in the East stand on the side opposite the old structure. The shower areas for both the home and away teams are equally impressive and in keeping with the times, provision has also been made for an ice bath — although that won’t be operational tomorrow! But the medical, referees and media rooms will also be up and running.
“The building site is totally secured and totally independent of where the public are coming through and where they watch the match” said Whelan. “So there is absolutely no danger of any kind.
“That is the most important thing to happen to date. People should realise we have new entrances. There is a colour on each ticket to indicate which entrance you’re supposed to come in. We’ll also have people with loud hailers and there will be close on 200 security guys so that nobody can get into the building areas. The floodlights will be working. We didn’t know that three or four months ago indeed, that we’d be ready hence the one o’clock start. Sky television will be pleased.”
Whelan knows as well as anyone how important the Thomond Park atmosphere is to Munster rugby teams on big match days. After all, he was a member of the side that beat the All Blacks here in 1978. So when it came to designing the new stadium, he insisted that many of the old characteristics should be retained, a point he was at pains to make yesterday.
“From the team’s point of view, they have exactly the same pitch, exactly the same walls around it, exactly the same terraces with the exception of the west terrace which is new and has been completed”, he stressed.
“They have new dressing rooms and showers that are now operational and they’ll come out from the opposite side of the pitch. It’s a much better scenario than they had before.
“As for the vital ingredient of atmosphere, the fans will have the terraces that they always had, as close to the pitch as ever and the temporary seating looks particularly impressive. They also have improved toilet facilities and improved access. It would help if they got here early. There are new procedures in operation so they need to familiarise themselves so they know where they’re going in. We don’t want anyone coming out of a pub at 10 to one and wondering where they should be. The Shannon pavilion has been taken over as a site office so there’s no drink or food in the ground and there won’t be at any of the matches until such time as the work is finished.”
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