By Cathal Haughey
The Corrigan park saga has been going on for months now as Antrim set to face Armagh in the Ulster SFC Quarter finals in mid April, but Ulster GAA still haven’t made a decision on the case. How has this happened in the first place? What options are there to save the integrity of what is widely regarded as the best football provincial championship in Ireland.
Set the Scene
It all started last year when the draw for the 2025 Ulster SFC took place. During the draw, Antrim was first drawn out of the hat, then the next team to emerge was All Ireland champions, Armagh. Straightaway everyone knew that there was going to be a problem with this match. Antrim’s home ground is Casement Park, but due to the poor conditions of the stadium over the years, it was closed in 2013 with its last match being a Ulster SFC quarter final between Antrim and Monaghan on 10th June 2013. Since then, Antrim play at Corrigan park which is the home of St John’s GAA. The capacity is only 3,700. The stadium alone could hold all or most of the Armagh supporters who have a season ticket. Which is why this match is in high demand giving Armagh’s status as not only the reigning All Ireland winners, but also having a huge fanbase that will follow the team home and away.
Ulster GAA originally put out a statement saying that the match will not be taking place at Corrigan park because it “does not meet the required health and safety standard to accommodate” the fixture. Unsurprisingly there was outrage from fans, Antrim players and management. The players and management stance is they want to play at their ground and nowhere else. As an Armagh fan, I admire their stance and have got every right to say that, but this is creating a headache for everyone at Ulster HQ. So what options are there for this match to happen?
The Options
The first option is to have the match at Corrigan park. The problem is Antrim will potentially have to try and find a way to increase their capacity to meet Ulster GAA’s health and safety standard which could come with a significant fee. Even if they increase the capacity, it still might not be enough to hold all of Armagh’s season ticket holders. The possible scenario to decide on who can go is through a ballot. Then for everyone who hasn’t been chosen in the ballot, would have to be reimbursed which could cost a lot of money depending on how many people don’t go to the match and how much the ticket costs, ranging from £5-£18.
The second option and the ideal option for most people, is to have the match somewhere else. The only benefit is the chosen venue will definitely meet the health and safety standard to hold the match.
On the flip side there are many negatives including choosing the right venue for the match that meets halfway between Antrim and Armagh, a potential fan outrage for moving a quarter final match to a neutral venue and Antrim may even boycott the match which could also cause them a place in this year’s Tailteann Cup. This will question the integrity of the Ulster championship and could cause Ulster GAA to lose revenue as a result of the quarter final match not happening in a neutral venue.
As things stand the match is happening in Corrigan Park, but Ulster GAA said in a statement they still haven’t made a decision. With weeks to go until the preliminary quarter finals between Donegal and Derry taking place, Ulster GAA needs to make a decision fast to save the integrity of the best football championship in Ireland.
The GAA Pulse 
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