Páirc Uí Chaoimh now pitch perfect but financial issues remain for Cork GAA

WHILE serious issues remain about the overspend on Cork’s revamped Páirc Uí Chaoimh complex, the surface is in pristine condition ahead of the hurling and football leagues next month.

Despite the heavy rain in recent weeks, the newly laid pitch in the Páirc will be ready for the Rebels early in the new year.

Though Páirc Uí Chaoimh was reopened in 2017, the pitch never recovered from the rebuild. Early this year the pitch was in such bad condition after a double-header of league games that the ground had to be shut for the rest of the league, while all club matches took place in Páirc Uí Rinn in 2019.

This facilitated the work to re-boot the pitch after the hurlers and footballers’ Munster championship campaigns were over and heat lights are in operation to bring the ground up to the standard set by Croke Park.

It means Cork supporters will watch their heroes line out on the best possible pitch in 2020, but questions over the financial well-being of the association in Cork remain. At annual convention, the board’s deficit was a worrying €558,000.

Since then it was revealed by the Irish Examiner that the board-appointed audit and risk sub-committee sent a report to the executive on December 4, advising it to inform delegates at the convention that the real deficit was more than €2.4m.

When the executive did not inform delegates of the higher figure at the convention, the audit and risk committee wrote again to the executive on December 11 to express its dissatisfaction. The sub-committee added that the financial position had not been fairly and completely presented.

The only official comment to date has come from the county board Twitter account.

“The Executive Committee of Cork County Board met last night to discuss correspondence received from the Audit and Risk Sub-Committee. We look forward to meeting the sub-committee at the earliest opportunity.”

The All-Ireland winning U20 and minor football squads were presented their medals at a function in the Páirc on Thursday night.