Football

Tyrone will seek to develop Dungannon as second county ground according to new strategic report

An aerial view of O'Neill Park in Dungannon. The Tyrone County Board is to 'agree and implement a master-plan... to develop Dungannon as Tyrone’s secondary ground'
An aerial view of O'Neill Park in Dungannon. The Tyrone County Board is to 'agree and implement a master-plan... to develop Dungannon as Tyrone’s secondary ground' An aerial view of O'Neill Park in Dungannon. The Tyrone County Board is to 'agree and implement a master-plan... to develop Dungannon as Tyrone’s secondary ground'

TYRONE will seek to develop O’Neill Park in Dungannon as the second county ground, according to a new strategic report unveiled last night.

Healy Park is the home of county football in Tyrone but in recent years some Dr McKenna Cup games have been staged in Coalisland and Carrickmore.

Dungannon has not featured, meanwhile, and the last National Football League game staged at O’Neill Park was against Kildare back in 2011.

Yet Healy Park has not always proved the most reliable.

Last year a League clash with Cavan was called off at the last minute due to a waterlogged pitch at the Omagh venue, while the McKenna Cup game against Antrim back in January had to be moved to the Athletic Grounds.

It has affected club games too, with last September’s championship quarter-final clash between eventual champions Omagh and Ardboe also moved to the Armagh venue after Healy Park was deemed unplayable.

Now, the Tyrone County Board is to “agree and implement a master-plan, including a funding/resourcing plan to develop Dungannon as Tyrone’s secondary ground”.

This was included in the county’s latest five-year strategic plan, entitled ‘Ag Ardú Níos Airde Arís na Laimhe Deirge... raising the Red Hand even higher’, unveiled at Garvaghey last night.

“Major GAA fixtures in Tyrone are a very important part of our games and contribute significantly to the local economy,” it reads.

“Healy Park remains a major asset but O’Neill Park, Dungannon requires support to develop as Tyrone’s second ‘county ground’ and act as a venue for major games in the east of the county.”

The strategy is designed to guide Gaelic Tyrone through the next five years, and Ulster Council secretary Brian McAvoy was among those in attendance in Garvaghey.

The plan includes seven themes covering all aspects of the county’s GAA business on and off the field – developing, coaching, organising and playing our games; club and community development, Tyrone’s GAA infrastructure; Tyrone’s Gaelic culture, language and heritage; health, wellbeing and inclusion; resourcing Tyrone GAA and governing/managing Tyrone GAA.

Among the issues raised in the document is the concern about “growing elitism” and the sidelining of club activity, with club fixtures the hot topic in the GAA at present.

However, a staunch defence of Tyrone’s current programme is offered.

“As in many counties there are concerns here about growing elitism and the sidelining of club activity,” reads the report.

“Much of that sidelining is, unfortunately, self-inflicted, with too many Tyrone club fixtures now being called off by one or both participating teams.

“Compared with most others, Tyrone runs a very good club fixtures programme which starts on time in the spring, provides regular fixtures, finishes in the autumn and largely includes our county players.

“Like all counties, however, Tyrone is not helped by the lack of clarity re the new inter-county ‘Super 8s’, under 20 and minor/under 17 arrangements (and their inevitable implications for clubs) that face us as we move into 2018.”

Reference is also made to examining the possibility of amalgamations at U20 level in rural areas, to ensure “Gaelic games opportunities [are] provided for a key rural age group”.