Corrigan Park not fit to host Armagh game - Ulster GAA

Ulster GAA have said talks remain "ongoing" over a venue for Antrim's Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final against Armagh, but that the Saffrons' home ground of Corrigan Park "does not meet the required health and safety standard to accommodate" the fixture.

Andy McEntee's side were first out of the hat in the last eight draw and therefore should have home advantage for the tie in April.

On Thursday evening, Antrim stalwart Paddy McBride said the county's football panel are in agreement that they would not play the game if it is not staged at their home ground in west Belfast.

However, the Sam Maguire winners are a huge draw with their number of season ticket holders believed to be in excess of 3,000 with Corrigan Park's capacity set at 4,000.

"The minimum number of tickets required to accommodate this fixture (including, players charter, match officials, multi-sponsors, media, season tickets etc) will exceed the venue capacity," said an Ulster GAA statement.

"Therefore, Corrigan Park does not meet the required health and safety standard to accommodate this fixture. Ulster GAA met with Antrim GAA officials last month to review the situation in detail, and those discussions remain ongoing."

Antrim did not play an Ulster SFC game at home between 2013 and 2022

With the Casement Park situation still to be resolved, there are no other suitable venues in the county. A move to a bigger ground elsewhere in the province has been mooted, but McBride says there is a sense of "complete frustration" among Antrim's players over talks to switch the fixture to the likes of Newry or Derry GAA's Celtic Park.

"As everyone knows, we're drawn out at home to play an Ulster Championship game and we're being told as usual that we're going somewhere else," he told BBC Sport NI.

"The frustration is we want to play a home match and we're saying if it's not there, we'll probably not play it.

"We want to play on our own pitch when we have a home game. It sounds so simple - you have a home match you play at home."

Antrim did not play a home Ulster SFC game from 2013 until hosting Cavan in the spring of 2022. Later that same year, the county's hurlers hosted Cork in an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final at Corrigan Park.

Keen to generate some excitement within the county, McBride said there is "far more than just one match at stake" and that the players are united in their stance.

"We spoke as players already," he added.

"We said we sacrifice too much to lie down. If it's not going to be where it's meant to be, then we'll not play it.

"It's one we all agreed with. It wasn't deliberated on, it wasn't debated, we just said this is what we're standing for and we're sticking with it."

Manager Andy McEntee agreed that it was a "distinct possibility" that Antrim will not fulfil the fixture if they are forced to play elsewhere.

The former Meath boss added it was "irrelevant" how many season tickets Armagh have sold.

"Well, as far as we're concerned, there's no problem at all," he said 

"It's irrelevant how many season tickets were sold to the opposition. That's not our issue. 

"The draw was made on the 12 October. All season tickets weren't sold before the 12 October. So everybody knew that we had home advantage. I don't see a problem."