The Connacht Final between Mayo and Galway will now take place in Croke Park to accommodate more fans.
Sunday week’s Connacht SFC final was due to take place at Elvery’s MacHale Park, with Mayo having home advantage.
Now, the reigning Connacht champions have given up home advantage for their clash with their long-time rivals.
Connacht GAA has decided to avail the decision for extra capacity.
It means over 18,000 supporters of Mayo and Galway followers will be able to watch the game in the capital.
Mayo’s win over Leitrim in the Connacht SFC semi-final held in Castlebar had a 3,000 seater capacity.
After announcing the change of venue, Connacht Council said;
“Following a meeting of the Connacht GAA Management Committee (Tuesday) evening, the decision has been taken to stage the Connacht Senior Football Final between Mayo and Galway on Sunday the 25th July in Croke Park.
“Due to current Covid restrictions, had the game been held in Elvery’s MacHale Park the crowd would only have been 3,600 so the game has been moved to Croke Park to accommodate 18,000 supporters on the day.”
Press Release on Venue for Connacht SFC Final https://t.co/u4YlLV8OWR
— Connacht GAA (@ConnachtGAA) July 13, 2021
The news comes as a surprise for many, with this being the first time that a Connacht football final will be played outside the province of Connacht.
After 8,000 supporters were able to attend last Saturday’s two Leinster Hurling Championship semi-finals at Croke Park, the biggest crowd in Ireland since COVID-19.
The return of an extra 10,000 fans gives hope for later games when the All-Ireland series comes around in the coming weeks.
The fixture change has been confirmed by Connacht GAA for a 1:30 start on Sunday afternoon.
Mayo defeated both Leitrim and Sligo in their last outings, hammering both in one-sided affairs to book their place in Sunday week’s decider. While Galway overcame Roscommon in Dr Hyde Park in their semi-final.
