RYAN Feeney of the Ulster Council says he is confident pitches across the province will stand up to the elements ahead of this weekend's Power NI Dr McKenna Cup fixtures.
Recent weather conditions have threatened the inter-county fixtures which are to be held at the Athletic Grounds, Brewster Park, Clones, Creggan, Pairc Esler and Letterkenny tomorrow for the opening round of the annual winter competition. "There will be pitch inspections early on the morning of the game and the pitches will be closely monitored over the weekend. We want things go as smoothly as possible," said Feeney. "Usually what happens is that the team officials and the clubs do a pitch inspection early in the morning so ,if there is a situation whereby we find the pitch is unplayable, we will have enough time to let the patrons know and get the information out there. "We will use all the social media channels and other traditional media to let people know of the changes in circumstance. But at the minute we are confident all the games are going ahead and we will only know more with constant reviewing of the pitches over the weekend."
Feeney also revealed that contingencies are in place should a pitch fail to meet the required standard. "We will work on alternative venues as well," he continued. "For example, there is a situation where we feel the pitch could be in doubt, so we will work tomorrow to see if there is another venue we could turn to. "If it turns out that another pitch is not available then we will just have to look at rescheduling that fixture for a later date. But at the minute, we are hopeful and confident all fixtures will go ahead."