The Louth manager’s comments came in the wake of Sunday’s four-point defeat to Dublin in the Leinster SFC final – and ahead of their All-Ireland group opener against Meath, a ‘home’ fixture that is now set to proceed in the nearby Monaghan venue of Inniskeen on the weekend after next.
Louth GAA plans for a new county grounds on a greenfield site just outside Dundalk were stalled last July, when the GAA’s Management Committee directed that any works cease amid concerns over the financial viability of the project.
Since then, engagements between Louth and Croke Park have carried on in the background.
But with their next SFC fixture proceeding outside the county, Brennan has called for action.
“I don’t want to speak out of turn, but I think possibly more could be done from the GAA to accelerate the development of the new stadium in Dundalk,” the former Dublin defender suggested.
“I think more could be done for the lads. There’s an awful lot of work being done by the executive and the previous executive team, so I think the GAA really need to give them a bit more support here and get boots on the ground in Dundalk.”
In confirming the venue for their round-robin opener – a local derby showdown with Meath that could go a long way to deciding qualification for one of the protagonists – Brennan joked that “Tommy Durnin wanted to play there.” The veteran Louth midfielder now plays his club football with the local Grattans club.
Louth currently play their league football in Ardee, which is understood to have a capacity of around 2,800 and is not deemed suitable as a senior championship venue. It is hoped that Inniskeen, which straddles the Louth border, may be able to accommodate up to 7,000.
Last year, Louth played their ‘home’ game in the All-Ireland series at Páirc Tailteann, but obviously this was never an option for a home clash with Meath this time around.
This Group 4 fixture will be followed by games away to Monaghan and then against Kerry on neutral turf.
“The lads got to a Leinster final last year, they were in Division 2 last year. They didn’t get out of the All-Ireland series. If you’re looking at black and white progress, they have to get into the latter stages of the All-Ireland this year. But they will take confidence from today,” Brennan declared.
