Cork fans and teams had been waiting for a redevelopment of Pairc Ui Chaoimh for years.
When the ground got an all-clear for a redevelopment, the countdown began to the opening day. That was slated to be for one of the Munster finals of 2017. As things turned out, the ground wasn't completed in time. The football final switching to Killarney, the hurling to Semple Stadium.
When the postponement of the finals was announced in June, Cork county chairman Ger Lane said:
Clearly we are disappointed but we want everything to be pristine before the stadium hosts its first major games. We want to be certain that all the expectations for this tremendous new facility will be fully met. We are satisfied that this will be the case by mid-July.
The blow was softened with the news that the new Pairc would instead host the All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals.
However, a report from the Irish Times this morning claims that the Pairc won't be ready for July 23rd. The paper claimed that a meeting next Monday (the 10th of July) of the CCCC will decide whether the quarters would be held in the new Pairc.
Lane has since spoken to Cork's RedFM, where he refuted these claims.
Cork County Board chairman Ger Lane has told RedFM Sport that Pairc ui Chaoimh WILL be ready for Q/Fs, despite reports to the contrary today
— Cork's RedFM Sport (@BigRedBench) July 4, 2017
The GAA's Central Council put forward the idea of hosting the quarterfinals to the CCCC in the middle of June. The Cork County Chairperson confirmed the news.
It'd be a major blow for the Cork County Board. Traditionally, both All-Ireland semi-finals are held in Croke Park.
If the stadium isn't ready for the quarter-finals, then the opening will have to be delayed until either the Cork County Championship finals or the start of next year's National Leagues.
