The Sportsgrounds

The Sportsground is a stadium in Galway city that is the home of both the Connacht Rugby team and the city's greyhound races. The fact that there are greyhound races means that the stadium has a quite unique sand race track all the way around the rugby pitch. Now I have never been there for a greyhound night but I have been there several times for both domestic and European rugby matches to support my team Connacht Rugby. The design of the stadium, combined with the infamous Galway weather means that watching a rugby match there can be an extremely different experience from one match to another. I will explain what I mean as we go on.

The usual capacity of the stadium is 7, 500 people but this can be increased to 9, 500 for the bigger European matches. The average attendance is usually about 5000 people or so but it usually feels like there is double that amount of people in the stadium as Connacht fans are known for being some of the loudest and most passionate in European rugby.

The important info for students is how much are the ticket prices? Tickets are really cheap when compared to soccer for example and the Student Unions at the universities usually offer tickets at a discounted price. I went to many league matches and only had to pay €5 for the ticket! The Skeff bar also does an offer of a free pint with your ticket as well so it was like going for free! As a student you won't find yourself paying more than €10 for a ticket unless it is a European match. European matches are usually around €15 but these matches are definitely worth the extra money as the atmosphere is always even better than usual, especially if Connacht are playing against an English or French side.

The weather can play a big part in what type of ticket you buy. The weather in Galway is infamous for being very erratic. The weather is rarely good for matches especially in winter so make sure that you bring plenty of warm clothes to protect yourself from the wind and the rain. The stadium has quite an unusual layout which doesn't protect you from the elements in certain areas. The stand with the best coverage from the bad weather is the Clan Terrace. This stand is completely covered so you won't be getting wet at all. This is usually full of season ticket holders however so getting tickets for this stand can be quite difficult and they are more expensive as well. On the far side of the ground you have the two enclosed stands. These offer some protection from the wind and rain but you can still get wet if the wind is blowing the wrong way! During the bigger matches they will place temporary stands behind each goal and you do not want to be there if the weather is bad as you will be completely exposed to the elements.

The atmosphere at Connacht games is the best thing about the stadium. Connacht are the smallest team in Ireland by a long, long way but they have a reputation all over Europe for having great fans. There are only a small number of fans in attendance compared to bigger teams but they can make just as much noise. There is always a sea of green hats, flags and jerseys in the stands no matter who the team is playing against. The crowd singing "The Fields of Athenry" is worth the ticket price alone. A special mention must also go to Eddie the Eagle, the team's mascot. He is hilarious throughout the entire match trying to catch balls that are kicked into touch. I have been at poor matches where the biggest cheer of the night was for when Eddie caught a ball that was kicked to touch. The stadium is also really accessible as it's only a 5 minute walk from the city centre so you can spend before and after the match in a pub if you want. The Sportsground really is a unique stadium with a unique atmosphere and for the money that you pay it's a must-visit if you are in Galway. There are matches every couple of weeks from September until about May usually so it's a perfect timeline for Erasmus students.