Transformed facilities to enhance summer season at Tuam Stadium

By JACQUELINE HOGGE GALWAYâ€â„¢S summer of football may have been cut short at the weekend, but Tuam Stadium is hoping a recent makeover will see a long, fruitful campaign of club championship action enjoyed by the masses at the famous north Galway ground. Once considered a no-go area, even for those in direst need, the stadiumâ€â„¢s toilets have been renovated and upgraded to include an impressive suite of facilities. Seven new cubicles mean there shouldnâ€â„¢t be any lengthy queues for the more fervent female fan, while new bathrooms have also been provided for gents, the disabled, and even those in need of a nappy change. The work, which has been co-ordinated by the newly formed Tuam Stadium Committee, is being carried out by a community employment scheme, under the watchful eye of John Joe Holleran, County GAA Board Vice Chairman and former football board chairman. CE scheme supervisor Ted Kerrigan said the stadium had taken a lot of flack down through the years, but it was now up to local people to support the ground. â€Å“We need to start at the bottom and work our way up, which is what this first stage of work is about,â€Â he said.[private] â€Å“Tuam and North Galway people in general need to support us in what we are doing, instead of knocking the stadium all the time, which is what has been happening for years.â€Â Ronan Glynn, chairperson of the stadium committee, said the most basic of facilities had to be provided to attract numbers to matches over the summer months. â€Å“Tuam stadium is too big for the town to lose, but we have to be realistic about what we can achieve,â€Â he said. â€Å“Approximately €20,000 has been spent upgrading toilet facilities, which is a basic requirement, but this is the start of a much bigger project we have in mind here. We need people to support us and with the backing of the local community we know we can deliver a ground Tuam can be proud of once again.â€Â John Joe Holleran, who is also events controller on the stadium committee, said the work being carried out was in compliance with official health and safety guidelines and marked the first phase of the overall development of the stadium. â€Å“We are working with the residents of St Endaâ€â„¢s Avenue to develop Browneâ€â„¢s Field as a training area, that will also allow direct access to the pitch for players, instead of the current set-up where they are coming in past supporters,â€Â he said. â€Å“Our first priority, however, is to get people in through the gate and in order to do that we have to make sure we have the basic facilities in place for them. â€Å“We have also installed a water tank at the back of the stand so that the new toilet facilities can be serviced with harvested rainwater, to reduce costs.â€Â This weekend sees the club championships get under way, with four games up for decision at Tuam Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. St James take on Caltra and Milltown face Caherlistrane on Saturday, while Sunday will see Cortoon and Tuam stars battle it out for a place in the next round before Kilkerrin-Clonberne take on Annaghdown.[/private]