Mayo gaa fans dismayed over tv bombshell

THE chairman of the Mayo County Board has reacted angrily to the confirmation by GAA headquarters that Mayo’s All-Ireland quarterfinal game on Saturday evening, August 8, at Croke Park, will only be shown live on Sky TV.

This means that many of the Mayo faithful supporters who for one reason or another will be unable to attend the game in Dublin, now finds themselves being unable to watch the big game in the comfort of their own homes because they don’t have Sky TV.

This bombshell is likely to greeted by uproar and dismay among supporters not alone in Mayo but the other three counties who will be involved in the second of the two All-Ireland quarterfinal weekends.

Mayo County Board chairman Mike Connelly said he was very disappointed to learn they would not be shown other than on Sky TV.

He said: 'It is very disappointing to hear that our All-Ireland quarterfinal game in Croke Park on Saturday, August 8, will not be shown live on our national television.

'Many homes don’t have Sky TV. If supporters want to watch the game they will have to go to a house which does or else go into a local public house.

'This is simply not good enough. We are regarded as having one of the best GAA supporting counties in the country and to think many will be unable to watch Mayo in the All-Ireland quarterfinals is just shocking.

'It is completely out of the Mayo County Board hands as we have no say in the matter. We also had hoped we might get the Donegal versus Galway qualifer in Elverys MacHale Park, seeing that we had no game this year, but that game has now gone to Croke Park.