Antrim captain Dermot McAleese has reiterated the Saffrons’ ‘Corrigan Park or nowhere’ stance, saying that they will not play April’s Ulster SFC quarter-final against Armagh at any other venue.
Andy McEntee's side have home advantage for the showdown against the All-Ireland champions on April 12th, but the expectation is that it will be moved to a bigger venue after Ulster Council had stated that the west Belfast ground, which holds 4,000, “does not meet the required health and safety standard to accommodate this fixture”.
There has been speculation that the game could be switched to Páirc Esler in Newry – a ground that holds 20,000 at its capacity – however, speaking to RTE Sport after the team’s defeat to Offaly in Tullamore on Sunday, McAleese said that the Glensmen won’t play the game anywhere else bar its original venue.
“As a playing group and as a management group, we made our views clear a couple of weeks ago and we are standing by that,” said the Antrim skipper.
“We’ve made it clear - that (Corrigan Park) is our home ground and that’s where we’ll be playing the game.”
A decision on the venue could be taken this week and, if Antrim were to boycott the game as a result of it being changed, they would risk being disqualified from the championship as per rule 6.14 of the Official Guide.
TweetAntrim captain Dermot McAleese says the players are sticking by their decision to only play their Ulster championship fixture against Armagh at their home ground, Corrigan Park.#rtegaa
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