CARBERY GAA clubs have been asked to discuss three options put forward for a proposed all-weather facility within the division.
The development of an all-weather pitch in Carbery has been in the pipeline for several years, dating back to 2018 when The Southern Star reported on how the divisional board was exploring the idea of building a 4G pitch in West Cork.
New Carbery chairman David Whyte told this paper recently that the board is keen to move this project forward so that the division has its own all-weather facility and a place for Carbery GAA to call home. It would be heralded as a game-changer for Carbery GAA.
In an email sent to local clubs, the Carbery board has outlined three possible options for this development, and asked clubs to discuss these before the board’s next meeting on March 11th.
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Option 1 is to purchase a greenfield site, and this is the most expensive of the three options. Involved in this would be land purchase, civil works, pitch development, car park, dressing/meeting rooms, access road, boundary structures, and design/planning/legal/project management.
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Option 2 is to develop a 4G astro pitch on an existing facility, and The Southern Star understands this could mean Carbery GAA developing a local club’s second pitch. Involved here would be the laying of a 4G carpet and shock pad on an engineered surface and build up including drainage, sand carpet on soil-based Prunty-style drainage pitch. In terms of cost, it’s considerably less than Option One.
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Option 3, the least expensive option, is similar to Option 2 in terms of developing a club’s second pitch, but instead of a 4G astro pitch this would be a turf-based grass pitch – the proposed plan is for a 70mm sand carpet on soil-based, Prunty-style drainage pitch.
All of the above three options include floodlighting, spectator fencing, retractable ball-stop netting, two dugouts, scoreboard and goalposts.
The divisional board has also explained that in Options 2 and 3, Carbery GAA will be classified as tenants, and ‘as such will be proposing just part usage and by association part funding.’
Carbery chairman David Whyte.
In recent years Carbery GAA has had to hold U21 divisional championship games outside of the division, in Bishopstown’s 4G pitch, while the recent poor weather and unplayable pitches led to the suspension of the Carbery U21 football championships until August.
Former Carbery chairman Aidan O’Rourke, in his outgoing address at December’s convection, said: ‘We should be able to play games in our own division on our own 4G pitch, not traveling to Bishopstown in Cork to play them. I am asking all clubs again, to put their shoulder to the wheel to make sure the 4G pitch project takes off properly.’
New chairman David Whyte also sees the need for the proposed all-weather facility within the division, telling the Star: ‘We have been talking to clubs about the need for an all-weather pitch in the division. A pitch development committee was set up in recent times and we are talking to different clubs about the possibility of working with them; they would have a second pitch where we, as a board, would come in and develop it into a sand-based or astroturf pitch.
‘Another area that we are exploring is the possibility of a green-field site. The costs would be big, but we are exploring all options to see what is the best way forward here – do we go with a club and develop a second pitch or do we go with a green-field site? All that is being debated at the moment, and we are hoping to move that forward this year.’
Clubs have now been asked for their thoughts before the next board meeting on March 11th.
