Mayo GAA to embark on long and winding road to Bohola

by Caoimhín Rowland

In a world of few certainties, it’s fair to say Mayo GAA knows how to make headlines.

Right on cue, just when we’d all settled into the relative quiet of the off-season, allow the county finals to play their course and then bam, the scoop of a new Centre of Excellence on the way for the whole county rears its head in advance of a convention.

This isn’t just any centre, mind you. It’s a multi-million-euro proposal on a whopping 40-acre site, gifted to them by a mystery benefactor who clearly believes that Mayo’s future deserves more than just mere training pitches.

The site itself is in Bohola, right off the N5, central enough for the diehards to see it as practical but close enough to Connacht’s existing Centre of Excellence in Bekan to make you wonder if we’re building castles in the air—or in this case, pitches in the same postcode.

First off, let’s give credit where it’s due. Land doesn’t come cheap these days, and the days of empty fields being available for such ambitious projects are long gone. So, when someone hands you 40 acres with a smile and a nod, you don’t start reading into the gift receipt. You take it, you say thank you, and you get to work.

That’s exactly what Mayo GAA are doing here, with a plan that could eventually see them owning a full suite of pitches (at least six), dressing rooms, gyms, medical rooms, dining areas, and enough facilities to keep every club team from Belmullet to Ballinrobe busy seven days a week.

But here’s where we get into the meat of the matter. The project is ambitious—no one’s denying that. But it’s also estimated to cost upwards of €15 million. Yes, that’s million with an “m,” and that’s before a single boot hits the grass.

For context, that’s about as much as Mayo’s MacHale Park redevelopment cost, which we all remember as a financial ball and chain that’s still being dragged around. So, even as we picture the bright new centre, there’s an elephant in the dressing room: how exactly are they going to pay for it?

The County Board has done a fine job in getting this far, but unless they’ve stumbled on a secret oil well under Bohola, there will be a lot of fundraising ahead.

And let’s face it, Mayo isn’t exactly known for having endless coffers. Between securing GAA and government funding, there will be grants to chase, loans to secure, and plenty of persuading to do.

Club delegates will understandably want answers before committing to something that could saddle future generations with debt.

After all, this is Mayo GAA we’re talking about. Financial stability hasn’t exactly been the most reliable teammate in the past

Which leads us to the proximity issue. Bohola’s a stone’s throw from Bekan, where the Connacht Centre of Excellence already offers Mayo players and coaches top-notch facilities.

It’s fair to ask: do we really need two centres within 23 kilometres of each other? The Connacht Centre is a perfectly good setup, with its dome and built with a budget and zero risk to the integrity of the supporting county boards. B

ut Mayo needs to fly solo. There’s a logic to wanting full control, no doubt. A dedicated Mayo base, separate from Connacht GAA’s jurisdiction, allows for flexibility, focus, and that intangible but all-important sense of ownership.

As Bekan continues to grow, spaces for teams from this county need to be provided as a priority, that’s something Bekan can’t offer despite it being in the county.

The dream of a centre that can host GAA, LGFA, and camogie players together on the same surface would be a huge step forward for a county that prides itself on gaelic games.

Yet it also raises a familiar question: who’s paying, and will they have enough to pay for it all? Right now, that’s anyone’s guess.

Mayo has always had the support of one of the most fervent fan bases in the country, no question there. But are supporters ready to dip into their pockets again?

And if they are, what does that mean for the smaller, grassroots-level clubs that still need funding too?

There’s still the MacHale Park debt, a stand so rapidly out of date, leaving ordinary volunteers scrambling to work harder and harder to meet its repayments, the strain has been immense and nobody wants to repeat that fiasco.

But let’s not get too gloomy. Because, yes, there are huge obstacles, but isn’t that where Mayo GAA thrives?

It’s the county where the audacious and the seemingly impossible always seem to hold sway.

Sure, the same fans who’ve carried Mayo on their backs for decades know the risks.

They’re also acutely aware of the rewards: a top-class centre that would not only enhance player development but also cement Mayo as a true powerhouse in Gaelic games for decades to come.

Imagine the potential to build a truly homegrown, Mayo-centered approach to fitness, recovery, and skill development, right there on home turf.

And for all the questions surrounding it, the facility would do just that—it would keep the future of Mayo GAA firmly planted in Mayo, with local heroes training the next generation right there under their nose.

Come December, when the formal announcement is expected at the county convention, the delegates will have their questions, and they’ll be right to ask them.

But for Mayo supporters everywhere, there’s something stirring in the heart of Bohola, something that reminds them that when the stakes are high, Mayo doesn’t do anything by half measures.

The road to Bohola won’t be easy, but maybe, just maybe, it’ll be worth every single step.