The Munster Council has ruled that the Cork-Kerry provincial football semi-final will be played at Fitzgerald Stadium.
Cork were due to enjoy home advantage for the May 7 clash but, with Páirc Uí Chaoimh unavailable due to the staging of an Ed Sheeran concert, it was intended to play the game at nearby Páirc Uí Rinn instead.
However, the suitability of the venue was called into question by the provincial body given its limited capacity. The Cork management team led by Keith Ricken insisted that they should retain home advantage regardless and were backed by their county board.
But having believed that Páirc Uí Rinn could accommodate 15,000 supporters, news that it will only hold a maximum of 11,000 for the upcoming game has caused the Munster Council to act and move the game to Killarney, which will comfortably cater for the expected attendance.
A Munster Council statement outlined: “The game was originally fixed for Páirc Uí Rinn given the unavailability of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, in the expectation that Páirc Uí Rinn would hold 15,000 spectators.
“Following an independent statutory annual health and safety inspection which identified a number of issues at the ground, the capacity was reduced to 9,200 and even If all of the required works are completed on time, the maximum capacity that can be achieved at the venue is 11,000.
“Given the average attendance of the last three Cork v Kerry matches in the Munster Senior Football Championship held at Páirc Uí Chaoimh is in excess of 22,000, (not including the Covid restricted match in 2020), Munster Council decided to move the 2022 Munster semi-final between the teams to Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney on Saturday, May 7 at the earlier start time of 6pm.”
The Munster Council also confirmed that the next two Cork-Kerry Munster Championship games will be played at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in order to restore the balance to the counties’ home and away arrangement.
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