PÁIRC PITCH WORKS TO COST €1M

IT WILL cost more than €1million to re-lay the pitch at the redeveloped Páirc Uí Chaoimh, according to Croke Park’s stadium director Peter McKenna. But he insists that the surface will be ready to host Cork’s Munster SHC opener against Tipperary on May 12. McKenna says it will take close to two months to correct the problem with the pitch. ‘This is a six to eight-week job so that timeline is needed to do it, but it is correctable, absolutely,’ McKenna said. ‘But it will be fine for the Munster Championship games, that’s not an issue. Once the weather gets good and the grass starts to grow, the roots will hold it.’ The problem was caused by some of the building work, as well as the design of the south stand, which casts a shadow on part of the pitch. ‘You had huge cranes going up and down there, lifting on the roof and other things. That sealed off drains and fissures in the grounds. A lot of remedial work needs to go on that. ‘Shadow is a problem here, too. You need grass species that respond well to growing in shadow. The grass we have here in Croke Park wouldn’t grow well in your back garden. ‘The same will be needed in Cork. I don’t see any problem with the pitch once we get in to replace it effectively.’ And McKenna confirmed that it will cost a lot to replace the pitch. ‘It’s certainly seven figures plus,’ he said. Last December, he said there would be a €24m overspend on the construction of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, a figure disputed by the Cork County Board. ‘I don’t want to get in to that. It will be interesting to see the report that comes back from the directors looking into that.’