THE LAST POINT: ​Grounds for praise at home and abroad

​I’m not sure you could get a greater contrast if you tried between the sweeping stands of the Estadio Azteca to the newly minted pitch in Ballybofey’s Mac Cumhaill Park; the difference between the high tech splendor of the inspiring San Francisco Bay Area Stadium with the humble but beautiful setting that is Pairc Naomh Brid in Drumkeerin and not forgetting the history that literally adorns the wall of Kingspan Breffni Park – five very different venues but all imbued with a distinct personality

​You’ll probably guess that with no Leitrim games this week and the World Cup yet to fully fire, ideas for a column this week are in short supply but watching games over the weekend got me thinking about how we attach an emotional heft to what is essentially a patch of grass, the significance of what that little piece of ground has come to symbolise.

Kingspan Breffni Park looks very different I imagine to what it was when Cavan ruled Ulster with a fist of iron but the history seeps from the walls – the plaque to the legendary John Joe Reilly to the pictures along the outer stadium wall detailing all aspects of Cavan GAA’s rich history, Breffni Park evokes a reverence that only the great cathedrals of gaelic games evoke. The Breffni men may not be at those heights right now but history matters in Cavan. Forty Anglo Celt Cups and 23 more final appearances leaves them well clear of the chasing pack and considering they’ve only won three Ulster titles in the past 60 seasons, it is a little insight into what was a truly fearsome county to face on the field of play.

If Breffni Park epitomises history, the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium is the embodiment of the modern world – stunning views, hospitality options everywhere and technological advances that leaves us gasping at its scale and vision. Most of us know the venue as Levi’s Stadium, the home of the legendary San Francisco 49ers – World Cup sponsorship rules mean the Levi’s name doesn’t fit in with FIFA’s diktats so new temporary names have to be found, even if Levi’s generated a mountain of publicity without ever mentioning the name over the weekend!

That pride we take in our local County grounds is all encompassing but there are some strange customs – the staff at Dublin's Parnell Park will excommunicate any photographer who dares to wander around the northside venue during game time but hundreds and hundreds of kids are allowed mill about the pitch, kick ball, swing hurls or simply run amok at halftime – make what you will of that!

THE LAST POINT: MIND OVER MATTER CAN STILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

Kingspan Breffni Park actively encouraged thousands of young Dubs and Breffni blues, and some suffering parents, onto the pitch at halftime last Sunday, the activities of some very young and small future stars raising a giggle from my conflicted Cavan born and Dublin supporting mother last Sunday, the very fact so many children were allowed experience the magic of Breffni Park worth more than all the marketing campaigns ever devised put together.

Up in Ballybofey, a different attitude was on show. Most of you will have seen the footage online of an over-enthusiastic Cork supporter being, to put it bluntly, manhandled by a steward - it wasn’t a good look. There were few enough Rebel fans there but the one that breached the cordon got a reception he mightn’t have been expecting! Fans were repeatedly asked to stay off the freshly redeveloped surface and there are suggestions online that there might be a bit more to the background of the incident but even as social media exploded in condemnation, you can understand why tempers of local volunteers may have gotten frayed – we had restrictions in Pairc Sean last year and after all the work and sacrifice that goes into developing and maintaining a playing surface, hard not to feel over-protective.

Unless you’re involved with the maintenance of a playing surface or sporting facility, I’m quite sure that none of us have one iota of the countless hours that are put in by a small group of volunteers who get a perfunctory ‘thanks to the local committee for the state of the pitch’ in a captain’s speech after a final but it is a true labour of love.

I’ve written in these pages before about the wonderful facilities in Pairc Naomh Brid in Drumkeerin, the work, both physical and in terms of fundraising, that goes into simply providing amenities that we probably all take somewhat for granted but a conversation last Thursday opened my eyes.

Waxing lyrically about how the Drumkeerin pitch is right up there among the most picturesque in the country, it is only then you learn that a team of volunteers take turns in cutting the grass three times a week, collecting every bit of it to maintain the superb quality of the playing surface – I grumble about getting the mower out once a week during the Summer for my garden but the work that goes into keeping the facilities going is staggering. The Drumkeerin folk telling me this weren’t looking for praise; nor did they feel they were doing anything particularly noteworthy – I imagine it is the same for every club, whatever the sport, all over the country and while the tools have changed with robots now moving the grass in a few Leitrim clubs, the effort and dedication remain the same.

We lose our mind when we go to Croke Park or the Avivia, but it is the unsung sporting cathedrals all over this land that truly capture the love and pride of our local communities. Let no-one have any doubt, the GAA doesn’t have a monopoly on pride of place, the development of facilities by Dromahair ARC, Carrick Rugby Club, Manorhamilton Rangers and Carrick Town to name but a few are proof of that; but the GAA is simply on a grander and wide scale.

The irony is that those using those fields get all the plaudits and oftentimes, the only times we mention facilities is to give out. We’re all guilty of not appreciating what is in front of us but for the young footballers of Melvin Gaels and St Brigid’s last Thursday, Pairc Naomh Brid was every bit the equal of Levi’s Stadium or Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca and that truly is the magic of sport and the importance of unselfish volunteers!