Anti-social behaviour at Mayo games slammed

Mike Finnerty

THE chairman of the Mayo GAA Board says he is ‘deeply concerned’ about a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour at recent National Football League matches in Castlebar.
Seamus Tuohy said the decision to allow children under the age of 16 to attend Mayo’s home league matches free of charge will have to be reviewed in light of these incidents.
Sixteen different people spoke on the subject at this week’s monthly meeting of the County Board, during a discussion that lasted almost 30 minutes.
The meeting heard that ‘large gangs of teenagers’ and ‘unaccompanied minors’ had attended recent NFL games against Galway, Kerry, Tyrone and Monaghan at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park before ‘roaming around causing trouble’.
Among the issues raised were: stewards being verbally abused by teenagers and adults; over €1,000 worth of footballs being stolen; €1,000 worth of jerseys, that were being worn by Mayo players, being ‘destroyed’ by children writing on them with permanent markers after games; and some ‘irreparable damage being done to the MacHale Park pitch surface by the thousands of children gathering on it after matches.
The ‘manhandling and mauling of players’ after games by children and adults was also highlighted.
“I would appeal to the media to highlight the danger of these issues because it’s a disaster waiting to happen,” warned Gerry Bourke from Breaffy, who is in charge of Mayo GAA’s MacHale Park Grounds Committee.
John Holian from Balla, who is the County Board delegate for Mayo’s secondary schools, said that ‘a very clear message has to go out on the media to parents’.
“Because it’s the parents’ responsibility at the end of the day. It’s not Mayo GAA’s responsibility.”
Seamus Tuohy also explained that there had been an incident following the final whistle in last Sunday’s match between Mayo and Monaghan in Castlebar where ‘some gates were locked when patrons were trying to leave the ground’.
“We are reviewing that incident, it shouldn’t have happened, and we’re holding our hands up,” said the chairman.
“And if there are changes to procedures that needs to happen, that will be put in place.”

Read this story in full in Tuesday’s edition of The Mayo News.