Cork players have declared that they will not play their Munster football semi-final against Kerry anywhere except Páirc Uí Rinn.
They were responding to Munster Council's decision to switch the match to Killarney because of capacity issues at the Cork venue.
The problem has arisen because Cork's primary stadium Páirc Uí Chaoimh is unavailable because of Ed Sheeran concerts.
In a statement released to The42.ie, the players accused the provincial council of being "driven by financial benefits".
"As players and management our sole focus is on preparing and playing to the best of our ability next month in the Munster championship, representing our families, our clubs and our county. We did not envisage needing to issue this statement," it read.
"Cork and Kerry have long had an agreement in place to decide home and away fixtures. This year's fixture is a home game for Cork, as initially announced in a press release by Munster GAA on the 4th of March.
"We believe the decision made this week by the Munster Council must be reversed.
"The decision to take the game to Killarney is driven by the financial benefits resulting from a larger crowd. We feel this reasoning sets a bad precedent, it is wrong and it goes against the values of the Gaelic Athletic Association.
"As such, we are preparing for the Munster Football semi-final on May 7th 2022 to be played in Páirc Uí Rinn. We will not be playing the match in any other venue.
"Regards, the Cork senior football players and management."
Munster Council had announced on Wednesday night that the match would go ahead in Killarney on Saturday May 7th, with Cork having home advantage against Kerry in the next two years that they are drawn together.
Because of the concerts in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork had hoped to switch the venue to their secondary county ground, Páirc Uí Rinn, but capacity problems have ruled out that option.
Originally intended to accommodate 15,000, the ground’s capacity was reduced to 9,200 following a health and safety inspection. Even with remedial works the capacity would be no greater than 11,000.
On the basis that the average attendance at these matches over the past three years, pre-pandemic, was 22,000, Munster Council took the decision it did.
Cork had already agreed to move its hurlers’ home match with Clare to Thurles because of the concert schedule, but the footballers had hoped to play Kerry in Páirc Uí Rinn. Keith Ricken and his management wrote a letter to the Cork GAA, calling for home advantage to remain.
The representations had deliberately been held back until after last weekend’s crucial league finale, an effective relegation play-off in Division Two, which they narrowly won to condemn Offaly to the drop and the new football championship’s Tier 2 Tailteann Cup.
Munster Council’s decision was based on the numbers that would be interested in attending, particularly after two years in which crowds have been curtailed or not allowed at all because of the pandemic.
Cork’s arguments have included the reality that some of the grounds used for the provincial hurling championship, such as Walsh Park in Waterford, are also restricted by health and safety concerns.
Against that, the hurling round robin is based on the idea of home and away fixtures for all teams, and that is enshrined in the rule book.
There was speculation during the week that the refusal to allow the match to go ahead in Cork might lead to the digging in of heels by the county along the lines of the Kildare-Mayo controversy and the defiant “Newbridge or nowhere” stance taken by Kildare.
That was supported by the rule book, which explicitly said that the “first drawn” county would have home advantage – a provision that obviously couldn’t apply if there were valid health and safety objections; but Croke Park were unable to convince anyone that such was the case and the match went ahead in Newbridge, with Kildare winning.
Sources in Munster say that the differences between the two situations obliged the council to take the position it did. There is no rule about home advantage and, in the case of Cork and Kerry, there is in place a “home and away” arrangement that was used recently when Páirc Uí Chaoimh was being rebuilt after 2014.
Kerry and Cork played three successive matches in Killarney followed by three in the new Páirc Uí Chaoimh, culminating in the shock victory for the home county in the 2020 winter championship with no supporters present.
It was back to Fitzgerald Stadium last year when Kerry handed out a 22-point beating, which had to be an influence on Cork’s disinclination to return there so soon.
Furthermore, the Newbridge comparison is considered inaccurate because Kildare didn’t have a bigger stadium in which they were hosting a concert.
Whereas the Cork county board’s situation in relation to Páirc Uí Chaoimh is understood – with stadium debts of nearly €30 million – as is the need to hold concerts and sweat the asset, it has been a PR nightmare relocating home championship fixtures.
The hurlers will still be able to play one match at home, the big Easter opening fixture, a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland final against Limerick, and they traditionally don’t mind playing in Thurles where they will face Clare.
Another aspect of the situation from the footballers’ point of view is that even if the thoughts of going to Killarney with a young, developing team is alarming, at least it means that the current management, if still in place (they were just appointed at the start of this year), will get home advantage against Kerry for the following two years.
This would be of limited consolation to Ricken and his management as their appointment was for two years and they may not be in a position to benefit from any additional home fixture.
