Roscommon boss Finbar Egan was left unimpressed after his sides meeting with Down was moved to Belfast.
Down scored a 1-12 to 2-6 victory over Roscommon on Sunday afternoon. However, most annoying to Egan was the late change of venue.
The game was due to take place in Pairc Esler. However, the game was moved to Belfast on Saturday evening. The Roscommon team had stayed overnight in Dundalk and were told of the venue change around 4pm on Saturday.
“It was nonsense” explained Egan. They even sent us an Eircode for a different place, so we were 20 minutes driving around Belfast”.
“They sent us around the countryside. We left Dundalk just after 11 o’clock and we didn’t get here until 1.20 p.m. for a match at 2 pm”.
The match was moved to Cherryvale 4G Pitch in Belfast, close to Ravenhill rugby stadium. However, the lack of basic facilities angered Egan.
“Changing the game to here was a joke" Egan declared. "There are no dugouts, nothing. We’re just standing on the side of an astro-pitch getting drenched. I know it’s great that we got a pitch, but it's still not acceptable”.
“The dressing rooms were a joke. We’ve come away with three or four injuries. The stats prove that there are way more injuries on astro-turf pitches, especially in ladies’ football. Kate Nolan is just back from a serious knee injury, and we’ve lost her again”.
Game was moved on Saturday night
This is the second time in 2026 that Down have moved a game outside of the county. The round one fixture with Louth was moved to Louth’s Darver training centre.
“Someone told me that there was a U-20 match played in Páirc Esler yesterday (Saturday), and that ruled it out for today” explained Egan.
“But it was dry here last night, and it was dry again this morning. You can draw your own conclusions,” he said following his side’s three-point defeat.
Shannonside Northern Sound Sport put a number of questions to the LGFA regarding issues highlighted by the Roscommon ladies team to Shannonside Northern Sound.
An LGFA spokesperson said; “The LGFA has regulations in place to govern venue changes and the use of all-weather pitches. We commend all our county boards for their efforts in securing playable pitches during the recent adverse weather conditions, and across 68 games, we have had two postsponements to date.
We will continue to navigate the challenges that arise and take on board any feedback that comes our way”.
Down LGFA have been asked for comment.
