I cant help but find building more new pitches in Dunganny a complete waste of funds when considering our county stadium is an absolute KIP, to put it politely. Like this screams of a total new direction development wise for the county or there is a total split and no joined up thinking from those in charge of the counties development. What has happened to the money raised by the house sales(if any was)?

Is it on the critical path that we get more pitches out there to host a couple of club games a year? Surely the absolute priority is we get our stadium back up and running in a decent manor/state or is it just a case of we are now waiting for it to fall into such disrepair that the Health and Safety Authority shut it down and the County Board then have a way of selling it off without much push back from the public.

Sell it up and take the funds, go to the catholic church and demand some ground for a new stadium(they owe the country at this point and dalgan park wouldn't be missed) and build a decent stadium.

Irish_downunder (Meath) - Posts: 658 - 13/06/2023 09:23:58    2486089

BigJoe14 (Meath) - Posts: 1016 - 13/06/2023 10:42:36    2486112

Theheinoking (Meath) - Posts: 128 - 13/06/2023 12:18:13    2486153

Jinxie (Meath) - Posts: 6347 - 13/06/2023 13:49:39    2486196

I think its fair to say that anyone who is frequently in Dunganny knows that we need new pitches. A lot of people are calling for Meath to make progress so to do so we need the training facilities and the pitches are a must. There is a big difference is raising 1.2 mil compared to what is required for PT....Louths cost have double to 25 mil since they first got quotes a few years back so you need to cut your cloth so it's a great idea to develop the rest of the ground, I think its also prudent that there will be no lights to prevent it being used during the winter months, this coupled with an irrigation system the surface should be one of beauty. We have a lovely surface in PT so we should aim to get this to the same standard and one of the main reason PT its so good is that its not over used and yes we all know the stand needs an overhaul.....

199710 (Meath) - Posts: 120 - 13/06/2023 16:01:03    2486249

Agree with extra pitches in Dunganny. But hopefully they can atleast have scoreboards and plant a few trees to make it a viable venue for some club championship games and that wouldn't cost much money. Also I wish one of the new pitches was a 4G astro or that the old astro would be relaid to allow games year round. The current astro is extremely old, worn down and uneven and I believe it is the old full sized astro turf pitch in the county which is very poor for a county of our size population and clubs wise

LeitrimRoyal99 (Meath) - Posts: 1571 - 13/06/2023 16:56:14    2486268

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 13/06/2023 22:07:15    2486331

A very short sighted message to start this thread.
Brilliant that Dunganny is being expanded, it is way more important in the scheme of things compared to Pairc Tailteann.
With the floodlight upgrade also in the pipeline, it really is a fantastic asset.
It is a hive of activity morning, noon and night, from county, club, school, academy squads, ladies, camogie.
Having been in Darver, Cloghan and Faithful Fields, it would be super if there was a small grass bank around one of the new pitches as in Darver. Gives some shelter and brilliant for spectators.

Roger (Meath) - Posts: 481 - 14/06/2023 05:31:02    2486347

Crinigan (Meath) - Posts: 1352 - 14/06/2023 17:31:05    2486490

Dunganny needs investment, its our training facility for all teams and as such needs to have best in class facilities and a requisite amount of pitches, yes a score board and a stand or covered terrace should also be installed on the main pitch for club games and small intercounty matches such as O'Byrne Cup, Kehoe Cup or underage fixtures so that it can take the pressure off PT and be a viable alternative. Glad to see this work take place, its important to see continual improvement and expansion of facilities.

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3763 - 19/06/2023 18:14:26    2487566

I knew there was a thread on the new pitches in Dunganny but I just want to comment on championship games being held on New Pitch 6 this year. At times it is totally unsuitable. The temporary fence has fallen over numerous times, there are plenty of photos of that doing the rounds. There are no dugouts and the scoreboard wasn't in use for some games this weekend. All it takes is for some spectators to push forward and the whole fence will topple like a domino effect. Heavens help us if it rains while a game is going on. At the weekend both subs and mentors were over the sideline.
For senior games the county board provides sideline officials and referees will normally have umpires. There was a junior game there are the weekend where there was only one umpire with the referee. That is common practice at junior or intermediate level. At a club ground the host club will normally provide umpires or sideline officials but that is not the case in Dunganny.
The new pitches are a credit to the county board but no club would be allowed to host a championship game with a temporary fence. Put the games on pitch 1 or 2 in Dunganny by all means.

49erroyal (Meath) - Posts: 76 - 07/08/2025 11:38:58    2630391

Clubs cant host championship matches with those conditions so why is it ok in dunganny ?
Terrible setup in every way

hurlit (Meath) - Posts: 434 - 07/08/2025 16:00:36    2630445

I really do not want to come across in a bad way here but Dunganny is just a real reflection of how Meath GAA goes about things in terms of facilities and infrastructure.

I cannot understand how there is not a main pitch with a modest, low level stand (500 seats) and a section of 4-5 row terracing with full lights, scoreboards and perimeter fencing.

It doesnt have to be an intercounty set up but something that affords respect for players and supporters.

Meath GAA were really missing a trick by not providing basic structures that would not cost the world but would mean the world to those playing and attending games

Royalio11 (Meath) - Posts: 809 - 07/08/2025 19:41:23    2630474

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8226 - 08/08/2025 14:18:06    2630578

I think it's a disgrace playing championship games in Dunganny full stop. It is not a place any team or supporters want to go to watch a game. It brings a poor atmosphere, it's wide open and strong winds, it doesn't have a scoreboard which is a complete no no for players and supporters, it has no fencing around the pitch, it's just a pure disaster and makes very little of the teams playing championship football. Why can't these games be left in club grounds? proper scoreboards, proper fencing, small compact built for a great atmosphere. Something should be said in regards to this asap

SillySimonsOpinion (Meath) - Posts: 78 - 12/08/2025 01:32:41    2631267

The only justification I can see to use Dunganny for Championship is so the County Board can pocket the ticket/admission revenue directly... apart from that it makes no sense and to me thats not a strong enough reason given the issues mentioned above

Amarach (Meath) - Posts: 64 - 12/08/2025 09:25:52    2631296

Whatever about league matches and maybe Junior championship matches being held there, under no circumstances should a crucial Senior Football Championship match be held in Dunganny in its current condition. Rathkenny Trim and Skryne Kells all playing there this round. Temporary barriers in place along the perimeter of the pitch, no scoreboard in operation and no dugouts. Not good enough. A club ground wouldn't get away with that for a championship match so why should the county board get away with it.

BigJoe14 (Meath) - Posts: 1016 - 12/08/2025 15:58:03    2631460

Fair play to clubs for kicking up about this and great to see the county board listen fairly and start to move games out of Dunganny. A few games moved away from Dunganny Pitch 6 this weekend to club grounds. Well done to all concerned, including the county board.

49erroyal (Meath) - Posts: 76 - 15/08/2025 15:00:59    2632037