ULSTER GAA ARE facing an embarrassing climb-down after the Antrim senior football team and management have insisted they will only play their Ulster senior football championship match against Armagh at Corrigan Park.
Armagh’s status as All-Ireland champions has inflated interest in this fixture, and it is believed that the number of season ticket holders in Armagh exceeds Corrigan Park’s capacity of 3,700. However, Antrim were drawn out of the hat first and are insisting on their home advantage for the meeting scheduled for 12/13 April.
In an interview with BBCNI, Antrim’s long-serving Paddy McBride has said that their camp will not entertain the thought of the game being moved to a bigger venue, such as Derry’s Celtic Park and Newry’s Pairc Elser.
“As everyone knows, we’re drawn out at home to play an Ulster Championship game and we’re being told as usual that we’re going somewhere else,” McBride told BBC Sport NI.
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“The frustration is we want to play a home match and we’re saying if it’s not there, we’ll probably not play it.
“We want to play on our own pitch when we have a home game. It sounds so simple – you have a home match you play at home.”
The loss of Casement Park as an Antrim venue meant there were no home games for Antrim teams in the championship from 2013 to 2022.
In 2022, the county footballers were drawn at home to play Cavan, who applied to the Ulster Council to have the game played at an alternative county venue due to concerns about capacity. However, strong opposition from Antrim led to Ulster reversing their decision.
“We spoke as players already,” McBride added.
Paddy McBride. Presseye / John McIlwaine/INPHO
Presseye / John McIlwaine/INPHO / John McIlwaine/INPHO
“We said we sacrifice too much to lie down. If it’s not going to be where it’s meant to be, then we’ll not play it.
“It’s one we all agreed with. It wasn’t deliberated on, it wasn’t debated, we just said this is what we’re standing for and we’re sticking with it.”
County manager Andy McEntee added his support for a potential boycott.
“Well, as far as we’re concerned, there’s no problem at all,” McEntee said.
“It’s irrelevant how many season tickets were sold to the opposition. That’s not our issue.
“The draw was made on the 12 October. All season tickets weren’t sold before the 12 October. So everybody knew that we had home advantage. I don’t see a problem.”
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It's 'Corrigan or Nowhere' for Antrim footballers in Ulster championship clash with Armagh
ULSTER GAA ARE facing an embarrassing climb-down after the Antrim senior football team and management have insisted they will only play their Ulster senior football championship match against Armagh at Corrigan Park.
Armagh’s status as All-Ireland champions has inflated interest in this fixture, and it is believed that the number of season ticket holders in Armagh exceeds Corrigan Park’s capacity of 3,700. However, Antrim were drawn out of the hat first and are insisting on their home advantage for the meeting scheduled for 12/13 April.
In an interview with BBCNI, Antrim’s long-serving Paddy McBride has said that their camp will not entertain the thought of the game being moved to a bigger venue, such as Derry’s Celtic Park and Newry’s Pairc Elser.
“As everyone knows, we’re drawn out at home to play an Ulster Championship game and we’re being told as usual that we’re going somewhere else,” McBride told BBC Sport NI.
“The frustration is we want to play a home match and we’re saying if it’s not there, we’ll probably not play it.
The loss of Casement Park as an Antrim venue meant there were no home games for Antrim teams in the championship from 2013 to 2022.
In 2022, the county footballers were drawn at home to play Cavan, who applied to the Ulster Council to have the game played at an alternative county venue due to concerns about capacity. However, strong opposition from Antrim led to Ulster reversing their decision.
“We spoke as players already,” McBride added.
“We said we sacrifice too much to lie down. If it’s not going to be where it’s meant to be, then we’ll not play it.
“It’s one we all agreed with. It wasn’t deliberated on, it wasn’t debated, we just said this is what we’re standing for and we’re sticking with it.”
County manager Andy McEntee added his support for a potential boycott.
“Well, as far as we’re concerned, there’s no problem at all,” McEntee said.
“It’s irrelevant how many season tickets were sold to the opposition. That’s not our issue.
“The draw was made on the 12 October. All season tickets weren’t sold before the 12 October. So everybody knew that we had home advantage. I don’t see a problem.”
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Antrim Armagh Boycott GAA Gaelic Football Paddy McBride saffrons