Michael Ring slams ‘crazy’ lack of shared sports facilities in Mayo

Former Mayo TD Michael Ring has issued a rallying call for sporting organisations to make their facilities available to other groups in order to maximise participation around the county.

Mr Ring, who spoke to The Mayo News at the launch of the Mayo Women’s Football Leagues in Umbro Park, believes that facilities such as that in Umbro Park Milebush should be opened up for other groups, particularly female sides.

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“This thing of having facilities not being used is crazy,” said Ring. 

“I’m asking sporting organisations, it doesn’t matter what organisations they are, to make their facilities available for everybody, and particularly for women, to give them the opportunity,” he told The Mayo News.

“I’m asking particularly the men’s clubs in Gaelic football and soccer to make the facilities available for women. Give them the same opportunity.”

At the launch, Ring spoke of the potential growth that could stem from the sharing of facilities and highlighted the collaboration between Mayo GAA and Connacht Rugby to stage the United Rugby Championship clash between Connacht and Munster.

In his view, the lack of regular instances such as this inhibits the opportunities available elsewhere for young people to develop their sporting skills.

“The amount of young boys and girls with talent in this country, they probably don’t get the same chance as they do in other countries where they have municipal facilities where the local authorities and governments are there.

“They’re not soccer pitches, they’re not rugby pitches. They’re municipal pitches where people will get their time and place and be able to share these facilities,” said the former Minister of State for Transport, Tourism and Sport. 

“It's something when I was Minister, I tried to deal with. I dealt with it with the schools. When the schools met me and I let the schools in to make applications on the Sports Capital Grant on one condition.

“They had to be in partnership with clubs so the facility would be used at Christmas and in summer, so that when the schools were closed the facilities would be opened.”

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