Joe Carroll: Championship draw overshadowed by the promise of millions

The grapevine was alive last week with two news items tickling the interest of Louth GAA followers. Many had a good idea the draw for the 2023 Leinster senior championship was being made, and maybe not for a good few years was its outcome awaited with such anticipation.

However, for a couple of days prior to the pairings being announced, the county was agog with the word that a scarcely believable €14.8m from the Government’s Immigrant Investor Programme is to go towards the building of the new county grounds on the Dundalk’s Inner-Relief Road.

Seemingly, 37 foreign investors, said to be mostly Asia-based, have each pledged €400,000 to go towards the development in return for Irish residency.

It’s part of a scheme which comes under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice, and whereas prior to this it did not benefit sporting bodies, it has been altered to permit non-European Economic Area nationals to make a donation to the arts, education, culture as well as sports in this country.

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Following the failure of its three-house draw to raise the anticipated funds to go towards the upgrading of Pairc Tailteann, Meath County Board engaged in the scheme, and is said to have accrued €2m. However, it’s not known if this was prior to the conditions for joining the scheme had been altered to include sport.

In anticipation of the money becoming available, County Board chairman, Peter Fitzpatrick, is quoted as saying work on the site could commence at the beginning of next year and be completed within 18 months.

Originally priced at €12m, the cost of the stadium, capable of housing a crowd of 14,000, could now be in the region of €20m. Even if Fitzpatrick’s timescale proves accurate, it still won’t be until the National League’s 2025 renewal that Louth will be playing home matches there.

In which division is anyone’s guess, but what is certain, the company they’ll be keeping this coming spring in the points competition is as good as there is in the country. Two of this year’s provincial champions, Dublin and Derry, will hold Division Two status, and also, Meath, Kildare, Cork, Clare and Limerick.

The league is mentioned because Louth’s performance in it could determine where they will be competing in next year’s championship.

Last Saturday’s draw paired the Wee County with Westmeath in the quarter-finals, and if this is a forerunner to Mickey Harte’s side making the final, a place in the 16-team All-Ireland Championship – to be played on a 4-group, round-robin basis – is guaranteed. Even if it’s not, Louth could still make the elite competition depending on where they finish in the league.

The alternative to the All-Ireland is the Tailteann Cup, played last year for the first time and won by none other than Westmeath. There’ll be a lot to play for in the first quarter of 2023.