Mike Finnerty
MAYO GAA fans are watching this space this week after it emerged that a new Mayo jersey is on the way for the county’s football and hurling teams — but it may not be available to the general public until next summer.
County Board PRO Aidan McLoughlin used the Mayo GAA twitter account to update fans on the news last weekend after a picture of one of the new jersey design ‘options’ was circulated on the social media network.
Speaking to The Mayo News last night, McLoughlin confirmed that Mayo supporters will get their first glimpse of a specially-commissioned jersey on Saturday, February 11 at McHale Park, Castlebar when Mayo take on All-Ireland champions, Dublin, in the Allianz National Football League.
However, a final version of a new Mayo shirt may not be used by the county teams until the championship begins next summer.
“O’Neills and Elverys have always traditionally changed the Mayo jersey design every four years and that cycle starts again in 2012,” explained the Mayo GAA official.
“Realistically, though, we won’t be in a position to introduce a new jersey for the start of the National League but hopefully we will have it rolled out by the start of the championship. As soon as it’s ready, it will be on sale.
“At the moment there are a number of different options being designed and one of them will be chosen for a specially-commissioned jersey for our league game with Dublin,” added McLoughlin.
“That jersey may, or may not, turn out to be the new Mayo GAA jersey that we will use for the next four years. It all depends on the feedback we get from fans, players, officials etc on the night of the game.
“Replicas of that specially-commissioned jersey will also be on sale at McHale Park at the Dublin game and it will be interesting to see what kind of take-up there is.
“We decided to design a new jersey for the Dublin game because they’re All-Ireland champions, it’s a Saturday night, floodlit game, live on TV, and the players will get a chance to swop jerseys afterwards too,” he concluded.