AS CONNACHT’S SUPPORT levels swell on the back of unprecedented success, Pat Lam claims the province need to put plans in place to upgrade their Sportsground home.
Nearly 8,000 supporters crammed inside the Galway venue on Saturday evening to watch Lam’s side secure Champions Cup qualification with an emphatic interpro win over Munster.
It was another memorable night out west in what’s turning out to be an indelible season for Connacht as they look to lift their first ever Pro12 title.
By the time the full-time whistle was blown, the Clan Terrace was bouncing, quite literally, as the capacity crowd reveled in the achievement of a first ever season double over Munster.
“I’m really pleased for Connacht people, I’m really pleased for Eric Elwood,” Lam said afterwards.
“Me and him meet every week. He knows what we’re trying to do for the game. I talk to him about feedback. He’s an example, he’s so proud, he’s a reflection of all those who deserve this, what the boys are doing.
“When you see a crowd like that and the atmosphere but it’s not just tonight, you see the Connacht gear everywhere now. My boy at school told me the other day on the way to school, we must have counted 10-20 people, of different ages wearing Connacht gear.
“He told me when he first started going to PE, there were very few. It was all Leinster and Munster jerseys. He said, mate, everyone wears Connacht jerseys. That’s a realisation of where we are and where we can go.
“There’s no doubt we need a stadium. When you’re turning away people two weeks in a row now and could easily fill the ground. We need a realistic stadium of 10, 12, 15,000 people.
“It’s not a stadium for Connacht Rugby, it’s a stadium for Connacht people.”
Lam revealed that he has met with local businesses to discuss the possibility of further support as the province look to build for the future, both on and off the field.
“We’re talking about 2020 the Capital of Culture and you can have concerts here, you can do different things and I envisage that I said I can see it for the whole community to really get hold of.
“I did a few talks this week in the Latin Quarter to businesses and talked about everyone’s got to help each other and it’s relationships and they wanted to know how could they help us.
“I said ‘you guys are a reflection of the rugby team, if you’re on your own it’s a waste, but if the vision is for Connacht and Galway to be massive everyone’s got to build relationships and network and it’s just an exciting place to be in.”
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
