Kildare League Fixtures 2013

The way the fixtures have fallen is manna from heaven for the CB. All those games would bring huge crowds to newbridge and make a big dent in the famous debt we have. Three of the four best sides in our own backyard is something that will not happen very often. The opportunity must be seized and every last euro extracted from it.

If the capacity is 8,000 or 10,000 so be it. Make it all ticket, whatever, just keep it in the county. We played Tyrone in a nearly empty croke park last year and it was a horrible atmosphere. If that had of stayed in newbridge it would have been 100 times better for everyone involved.

As fionnmccool said, this was known about since last April, we have already forgone a home championship tie but to lose these potentially great occasions would be disastrous in the extreme. Everything should be one to keep them, I just hope it is.

Thanks Taibi - I was hoping someone would provide these.......

Jesus its excting isnt it... Already planning the away trips! Makes for better reading than Laois, Louth, Longford etc etc etc

A great platform for building for next year. Survival is key

Cannot wait for it already. One win from the first 6 and a win it down should see us survive.

thehouse wrote:

Cannot wait for it already. One win from the first 6 and a win it down should see us survive.

The optimism is overwhelming.

Tom Cruise, are you posting under a different name?

Must be optimistic. I think we can beat down away. I don't think it's unrealistic to be able to be one other team but it won't be easy I know that.

U need at least 5 or 6 points to stay up
I

Hopefully Donegal "winter well" as they say. It'd be some confidence boost to snatch two points off the All Ireland champions in our first game back in the top flight.

Like others have said, we need these games in Newbridge. The atmosphere was always electric for those big league games in the past.

I think we can beat Donegal in Newbridge, first match etc, I think they'll still be just building up,

it will be interesting how we approach the league, in div 2 we were good enough to train through it and still do ok. Will playing div 1 alter this i wonder?

Are we diluded here folks ? , Do we really think we will be allowed host home games in Conleths?
Personally I cant see it happening, Lack of parking, Lack of dressing rooms, lack of basic facilities, lack of toilets and of course, lack of seating etc. Dont think the CB have any grounds for argument . These are big games in DIV 1, with the big boys, and big followings also.

Baba O' Reily wrote:

The way the fixtures have fallen is manna from heaven for the CB. All those games would bring huge crowds to newbridge and make a big dent in the famous debt we have. Three of the four best sides in our own backyard is something that will not happen very often. The opportunity must be seized and every last euro extracted from it.

If the capacity is 8,000 or 10,000 so be it. Make it all ticket, whatever, just keep it in the county. We played Tyrone in a nearly empty croke park last year and it was a horrible atmosphere. If that had of stayed in newbridge it would have been 100 times better for everyone involved.

I think you're wrong on this Baba. Just like a club that hosts a club championship game within the County and has to sent back the gate receipts to the County Board, I believe the County Board has to send back the NFL gate receipts to Croke Park after deducting for ground rental / expenses. At the end of the League Croke Park divides up the receipts and distributes them back to the participating Counties. Not sure if it's an even divide but I'd imagine the teams that make the semi-final or final get a bigger share.

I'm also led to believe that moving the Tyrone game to Croke Park was worth while to us from a financial viewpoint.

I understand that fear An G, but I think the overall positives of having a game in Newbridge far outweigh a few extra euros. I also think the difference would be made up by the extra money going into things like the shop in the ground and the one in the whitewater.
I was told that after the Westmeath game last year the shop took in near two thousand euro in a couple of hours. Imagine what it would do after Kerry or Dublin.

Taken from HoganStand

Dubs' Spring Series in doubt

06 December 2012

Time is running out to organise Dublin's Spring Series, according to County Board chairman Andy Kettle.

Speaking at the launch of the new Dublin jersey yesterday, the Dubs chief revealed the footballers may have to play their National Football League games in Parnell Park.

"The Spring series is in negotiation but, to be honest, I am getting a bit frustrated," he is quoted as saying in The Irish Daily Star.

"We expected maybe a decision on Kildare's home games, which would have cleared the way for us to make some other decisions but that has not been forthcoming.

"I would have to say that I am a little bit disappointed with the lack of activity from Croke Park because it is only there that it will happen or not happen.

"Kildare to entitled to play at St Conleth's, but if the Health and Safety Committee say that they can't, well then the obvious place for them is Croke Park.

"Once we know what is happening we can come to an agreement with Kildare financially and work it out, but being pushed back time-wise we are going to miss the Christmas market from a ticket sales point of view.

"It is not making it any easier so if things don't happen, I won't say reasonably quickly, we will have to look at the possibility at coming back here to Parnell Park.

"We would need to know at the latest by next week."

Surely a health and safety committee can only determine the maximum number of fans allowed safely into Conleths?

Fair enough, righly or wrongly they have a say in how what the capacity of the place is, but they can hardly tell us we can't play there at all, although if it's a committee set up by the GAA then anything is possible.

Somebody better get the finger out and sort this mess out, we can't be leaving poor Andy Kettle to be getting frustrated...

I'd rather play in Portlaoise than help Andy sort out his Spring series problems. "The place for them" , you should know your place Andy.
What is he waiting for anyway, sure the dubs are the best supported team around, what does he need Kildare for.
On your bike Andy.
Either way as I said before not one red cent will they get off me if the games are taken out of Newbridge.

Much like the budget, the ire is being aimed at the wrong direction... it's definitely not Andy Kettle's fault St Conleth's Park is in such a dilapidated state!

Ogie wrote:

Much like the budget, the ire is being aimed at the wrong direction... it's definitely not Andy Kettle's fault St Conleth's Park is in such a dilapidated state!

Of course it's not.

But equally Dublin playing their Spring Series in Croke Park should be nothing to do with where Kildare footballers are able to play league matches.

Exactly, if Dublin want to play their league games in Croke Park, then go ahead. It has nothing to do with Kildare. Unless of course he thinks they won't get the crowd required and needs the Kildare support to keep his series afloat. Going by last year he would be right.

You've just answered it yourself Baba, of course Kildare being involved would increase the concept's marketability. But I think the point he is making is that the delay in deciding where Kildare's games are being played is having an obvious impact on selling and marketing the Spring Series, as Dublin don't know what is and isn't an option. I didn't read anything else into what he was saying.

From the outside looking in and having no idea what's going on, I'm guessing that the GAA is giving Kildare every chance to bring about the required improvements to bring their capacity back up to what would be deemed safe for the expected crowds generated by the fixtures. But obviously, they will have to make a call very soon.

I read somewhere that Conleths park capacity has being cut again to something like 6500 also I know the dubs play most of there matches in croker but Parnell park has being cut to 8000. As bad as Conleths park is its hard to believe that the biggest supported county that there home ground only holds 8000

Yes Stevie Parnell Park has being cut too, didnt hear the figure but your right that is bad for a County that talks about having the biggest support!!!!!
If St. Conleths has a capacity of 6,500 surely it is up to the Kildare County Board if they play there or not and nobody else. Health and Safety can only put a figure on it they cant say you cant play there at all.

Its not just Kildare they are interested in, its Donegals first game since winning the All Ireland. €€€€€€

shoutitout wrote:

Yes Stevie Parnell Park has being cut too, didnt hear the figure but your right that is bad for a County that talks about having the biggest support!!!!!
If St. Conleths has a capacity of 6,500 surely it is up to the Kildare County Board if they play there or not and nobody else. Health and Safety can only put a figure on it they cant say you cant play there at all.

What if the capacity is 6,500 and 10,000 show up? That's what the Health and Safety crowd - and the guards - must consider. That's why the Limerick games was moved to Portlaoise, and rightly so. There'd have been mayhem on the streets and in the car park had it not been. So that's what has to be considered.

All Ticket solves that problem.

Baba O' Reily wrote:

All Ticket solves that problem.

dont solve the problem of fans missing out though does it,they should switch it to croker for this game,i think its the right thing to do money wise aswell