Ballbag
Why do you think there is bad relations between the County Board and the Club, as I've said the club have no issue with the development proceeding they just want to ensure that the position they are in at the minute doesn't change, where they can play games and train when they want without being told you can't do that or this, similar to what happens in Darver when your fixed to play on main pitch and your not allowed to warm up on the pitch your going to play a game on. Please note that the club gets no monetary value for maintenance of the pitch or grounds, the outgoing on club maintenance relates to repayment of th estancia which still hasn't be paid for. Get your facts right and stop spreading rumours in relation to carparking I'm sure if you've noticed 3 guys standing at the main entrance gate allowing people with passes in and out during Louth games or championship games directing traffic. They have generally been the same people over the last 10 years, when one of them isn't available other members step in, in fact I've stood at that gate a few times.
Also it was a Croke Park directive to have security at the senior county final for Health and Saftey requirements. The deal the county board have with the club is that they assume full control of the ground on match days (Louth Home games and Senior Championship Final) and are responsible for everything that happens around and in the ground before, during and after the game. Also the club are asked to provide as many stewards for game as any other club in the county; other clubs on match days have to provide stewards it's part of the agreement for Championship games. On average for the last 3 county finals in Drogheda the club has provided a minimum of 25 stewards for the games. The refreshments is not provided by club only co board.
Most people don't know that the O'Raghallaighs had there own ground down the Ballymakenny road in early 70's at the same time Louth Co Board decided to build the existing clubhouse but ran out of money and ask all clubs if anyone was interested in saving the county board I.e. Bailing them out. The Club sold there ground took over the project and completed same, the club was a senior club after having great success in 60's with a senior Championship Final win and numerous minor titles. The club went from Senior to Junior in the space of a few years partly due to all club efforts being put into the redevelopment.
Based on the above you can see why the club want to ensure there not left holding the can again, and to ensure that whatever deal is put forward guarantees the clubs future and survival. Sorry for the long rant but there's a lot of people on here spouting about stuff they know nothing about.
As I've said before nothing is agreed until any proposal is put in firm writing to the club and is passed by an EGM. Based on how slow things happen at Co Board level I can't see anything happening for a long time. It was all full steam ahead a few years back then DKIT proposal came out of nowhere believe me this hasn't helped the situation with a few vocal club members.

D-pats (Louth) - Posts: 40 - 01/09/2017 08:57:53    2041470

Good man D-pats looks like we found what seems to resemble a ball bag and it's not in Lordship. Thanks for sharing some facts, all be it some of which would come with a pinch of understandable bias, none of what you have said above I can find much fault with apart from your accusation of me spreading rumours.

So the county is still paying the O'Raghallaighs for an outstanding loan is this on the entire ground or just in part? Does the O'Raghallaighs own whatever the repayments are regarding outright or is repayment still being made elsewhere? All the same the county are paying outgoings to the county ground so what I said is fact.

Regarding the hiring of outside security I simple asked the question as to why this happens and how this works and you have answered. Also I believe the county board take responsibility of the host grounds for any club championship game not just senior final or intercounty. Do you know why the same requirements don't apply to Junior and intermediate finals or is it solely based on expected spectator numbers? External security being hired to steward county ground, fact.

For the parking I do know the three guys on the gate, I say hello to them every time I walk by, but the front gate car park is a drop in the ocean compared to amount of parking required for games in Drogheda. I was talking about the fact that there is no stewards in McCabes car park, which generally ends up a mess following a free for all or on the roads around the pitch. You may say thats not the clubs responsibility but you have to appreciate that's a poor showing compared to the efforts made by the clubs of other championship grounds in the county. Also for refreshments I know there has been club championship games that there has been no refreshments provided. I always thought that was part of the agreement between club and county for hosting any championship game not just senior final or intercounty. Maybe I'm wrong and the other clubs are being foolish looking after the volunteers from Louth who make each club championship game happen out of there own pocket. All the same you can see why these facts would lead me to question the relations between club and county.

Look this isn't meant to be a bash the O'raghallaighs post but I had to do a bit of myth busting as I am in no way on here to spread rumours. Out of every club who has had their fill of this county ground debacle the O'raghallaighs has had to deal with this farce ten fold and I fully agree with how yous are going about your business bringing any proposals back to your members. I for one would not be happy with any development, no matter how badly needed, that puts a club in the county at a disadvantage or holding the can. I think alot of people in the county would be of the same mindset, so can you see D-pats this is why we observe and question to try and find the best outcome for everyone. Many hands make light work we are all Louth men after all.

Why did dkit take it from full steam ahead to being, in your opinion, a long time off. Did the proposal change? Have the O'raghallaighs been presented at any stage with a plan? Do the O'raghallaighs have a suggestion of a minimum requirement for this to work? Do you personally think it is still the best option?

WheresDeBallBag (Louth) - Posts: 458 - 01/09/2017 11:08:13    2041517

WheresDeBallBag why do you think anything I said must be taken with a pinch of understandable bias, forgive me if I took your comments up wrongly about spreading rumours and i know you're only trying to find the facts, however problem with facts is there has been too many ill-informed people speaking about stuff they think might be right only for them to spread rumours without fact. But there has been a hell of alot said over the years about O'Raghallaigh's as club standing in the way of development. I'd like to categorically state that The club has never stood in the way of development, the Co. Board said for years that they couldn't develop the ground due to the club being there, this wasn't the case when the Co. Board built the stand they got all the relevant funding and approval to build this. Also the county is not paying the O'Raghallaigh's for any outstanding loan on the stand, this was constructed and contributions given by every club in the county to pay for this, however it didn't cover its cost and a loan was taken out by the Co. Board which is still being paid for, obviously I can only assume for accountancy reason its put down as county ground maintenance. The O'Raghallaigh's receive no monetary contribution for the upkeep or maintenance of the ground other than what is received when they host games as per a historical agreement.

In relation to your questions; significant proposals where put to the O'Raghallaigh's and we believed this was going in the right direction, then out of the blue came the 3 different proposals with options 1 being DKIT, that was announced without giving the club a courtesy call to say we've been looking at alternative options also. Now if you have club men giving up time they're own valuable time to go to meetings where progress was being made only for it to effectively told thanks lads but we've decided we're going to pursue the DKIT option. As far as some of the members of the club thought at that time, well go to DKIT as play there we don't need the hassle. That's why I believe it took the steam out of it.
The club has seen a plan, but this plan dosen't show details of how the club can co-exist with the county board as outlined in previous post, as I said the minimum requirement for this to work is that we can still run our club without impact to the day-to-day running of our club, however this has yet to be put forward or discussed as to how things will operate if the development proceeds and if it is completed.

Personally I think in the interest of the County the Central Council/ Croke Park/Leinster Council needs to row in behind and develop a County Ground for the County as soon as possible, I believe our time for proper negotiations was around the Leinster final debacle in 2010 and we should have made sure we got a county grounds out of it, but atlas our county board has no balls to stand up for themselves or do this in the right way. If the grounds are to be developed in Drogheda then I believe the club will be 100% behind it once they are looked after in terms of having the same rights to access the grounds and play/train as they have been accustomed to and the same as any other club in the county.

D-pats (Louth) - Posts: 40 - 06/09/2017 11:08:50    2043349

My main issue with this whole saga is the complete lack of information coming from the CB.
Its all rumour and hearsay and snippets in the local papers about an announcement being imminent, then silence for another 6 months.
As someone mentioned, 2010 would have been the perfect time to put pressure on Croke Park to get something out of that debacle because we are never going to get a JP McManus or a Kingspan to bankroll a new ground.
I'm resigned to the fact that what we have now is what we will have for the next 10 years.

AC (None) - Posts: 318 - 07/09/2017 11:55:54    2043774

Lads who are we talking about here, excuse my ignorance.D Halpenny? If its been held up and funds are already allocated then select another ground. Dunleer with money pumped in yes it coukdn happen. Dundalk too.sick of having the worst ground in the country

GAAdundalk (Louth) - Posts: 641 - 23/10/2017 08:43:16    2057118

sharpey (Louth) - Posts: 193 - 23/10/2017 11:44:17    2057185

Where should we park if pitch in Dunleer?

joej (Louth) - Posts: 1615 - 23/10/2017 20:47:57    2057352

Read the recent posts on the Drogheda grounds.Seems one guy has the inside track and the rest blowing hot and cold.The development If it ever takes place will be bad for the ORaghallaighs club.I was up in Drogheda on a midweek evening during the summer and called into the grounds having seen a lot of cars around.To my surprise there was no game on but the place was a hive of activity with the main pitch with adults training at one end and boys 14/16 at the other The pitch behind the clubhouse was occupied by a girls team and at the other side by about 50 young girls & boys.If developed at least half the small pitch will have to go.The ORaghallaighs according to the man with the inside track made a big mistake in the 70s lets hope they don't make another one and lose the impetus they with their underage boys section

elizabeth12 (Louth) - Posts: 21 - 23/10/2017 22:04:44    2057385

WheresDeBallBag (Louth) - Posts: 458 - 24/10/2017 00:28:00    2057416

WheresDeBallBag (Louth) - Posts: 458 - 24/10/2017 00:28:47    2057417

sharpey (Louth) - Posts: 193 - 24/10/2017 10:38:17    2057461

WheresDeBallBag (Louth) - Posts: 458 - 24/10/2017 11:11:57    2057475

sharpey (Louth) - Posts: 193 - 24/10/2017 11:46:52    2057491

WheresDeBallBag (Louth) - Posts: 458 - 24/10/2017 13:19:17    2057522

If its the perfect place how come it has never featured in the CB plan?

To be honest lads I have given up hope of this and it doesnt bother me now. I would prefer if the Raghs was not used as the CG. If its Dunleer im all for it. 10 min drive for me.

joej (Louth) - Posts: 1615 - 24/10/2017 13:59:19    2057535

sharpey (Louth) - Posts: 193 - 24/10/2017 14:28:36    2057545

WheresDeBallBag (Louth) - Posts: 458 - 25/10/2017 13:00:17    2057845

WheresDeBallBag (Louth) - Posts: 458 - 25/10/2017 13:54:21    2057870

I did read this morning on Joe.ie that the CB still favour the Gaelic grounds over any other venue in Louth. Personally i seen the proposed plan for dkit and it looked fantastic, but all a pipe dream i think.

joej (Louth) - Posts: 1615 - 25/10/2017 15:45:38    2057916

sharpey (Louth) - Posts: 193 - 25/10/2017 16:27:34    2057928