St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge was the flashpoint for a famous ‘Newbridge or Nowhere’ campaign in 2018 when Kildare GAA insisted on playing a home qualifier against Mayo on the ground.

This weekend, it will be a case of ‘Newbridge is Everywhere’ with a unique double header set to draw a sell-out crowd.

The renamed Cedral St Conleth’s Park has been completely revamped and is now a model for a county ground with a capacity of 15,000, including a 3,000-seat main stand and new floodlights.

First on the bill is the Liam MacCarthy Cup preliminary quarter-final, with Kildare’s hurlers facing Dublin to advance to a quarter-final against Limerick. That game throws in at 4 pm.

Then at 6:30 pm, the Kildare footballers face Offaly in the Tailteann Cup quarter-final.

Offaly beat the Lillywhites twice in the Allianz League under manager Mickey Harte, but this will be a sterner test in front of a pumped-up home crowd.

Neither game is down for coverage on either RTÉ or GAA+, which will add to the desire of fans to be there and should make for a brilliant atmosphere.

Tickets go on sale at 10:30 am this morning.

 

This week’s Sport for Business Podcast

 

Further Reading for Sport for Business members:

Check out Sport for Business coverage of Tennis

 

SPORT FOR BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE

The biggest of days and the biggest of counties will always grab the headline, but this is a perfect example of how a county that has not been in the top flight for several years can still have the potential to fire up the local fan base and make real progress.  With the population of Kildare backing this up, the potential is significant.

WHAT’S UP NEXT?

The Sport for Business is in planning for a strong second half of events to bring our community of sporting and business leaders together.

Register Your Interest in a Sport for Business Event

MEMBERSHIP AND EVENTS

The GAA are among the 300+ members of the Sport for Business community, including all of the leading sports and sponsors, as well as commercial and state agencies, individuals interested in our world, and an increasing number from beyond these shores taking a keen interest in Ireland.  

Find out more about becoming a member today.

Get the full benefit of a Sport for Business membership by joining us at one of our upcoming events, where sporting and business leadership come together.

Or sign up for our twice-daily bulletins to get a flavour of the material we cover.

Sign up for our News Bulletins here.