Work on the surface of Elverys MacHale Park will not commence until after Mayo’s Connacht Championship campaign.
The pitch is set to be torn up during the summer and the works will force the latter stages of the county championships, including county finals, to move elsewhere given that the surface will require time to bed in.
Having travelled to play Leitrim, Roscommon and Galway in last year’s Connacht Championship, Mayo would be due to host all three in Castlebar should they meet again this year so redeveloping the pitch will be placed on the long finger until after the provincial campaign, even though the chances of crowds being permitted at Championship games this summer appears remote at present.
It still remains to be seen whether the GAA will give the green light to the Allianz Leagues this year, with Mayo having been relegated to Division Two last year, but the new pitch will be ready for the start of the 2022 League campaign, county board treasurer Michael Diskin has said.
The Western People reports that, as well as reseeding, lateral drains will be installed across the pitch, which will also be lengthened by five metres, with 1,000 tonnes of sand to be spread across the surface.
The tenders of four companies are being assessed by the county board before a contract will be awarded.
