Mayo GAA dismay over training facility grant application rejection

The secretary of Mayo GAA, Ronan Kirrane, has expressed disappointment at the organisation's failure to secure a Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) grant for new training facilities adjacent to Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar.

Describing the provision of facilities as a 'major issue', Kirrane said it was 'having a massive impact on our teams within the county'.

Mayo have rented space at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Bekan for many of their inter-county teams but want their own amenity in Castlebar.

Kirrane said in his annual report to convention that the board would be 'unapologetic' about 'seeking major financial support' for a future development on a broader scale at Bohola.

“With the acquisition of lands in Bohola we now enter an opportunity to create something that will greatly improve the lives of all our players for generations to come,” he stated.

“We will be sitting down with elected representatives both locally and from Dáil Éireann, and we will be unapologetic about seeking major financial support for this project in the very near future.

“Earlier in the year the board made an application for an LSSIF grant which was unsuccessful.

"This was a major disappointment for the county, especially when you see some of the amounts given to other counties and other codes.

"Bear in mind that Mayo never received so much a cent for the stand in Hastings Insurance MacHale Park, nor did we receive funding for resurfacing of the pitch."

A UK-based businessman is to donate to Mayo GAA a 40-acre site Bohola which the county aims to develop into a new facility for inter-county and club activity.