It speaks volumes for the effect that Pat Lam has had on Connacht Rugby that he now has councillor's campaigning for his wishes.
Since the Auckland born coach brought his services to Galway, he has made a raft of changes to the culture of the squad. Lam has been a driving force for change, both within the playing personnel, the administrative staff, and the fans. He has never once wavered in his enthusiasm and determination to fulfil his vision for Connacht Rugby despite how crazy his vision seemed at the start.
He brought Connacht to their first PRO12 playoffs, qualifying them for their first Champions Cup by right. Lam has overseen a remarkable change - and after hammering Munster by 21 points in front of a packed crowd in Galway - he was calling for a bigger stadium. Connacht have packed out the Sportsground on several occasions this year, and would have sold over 1,000 more tickets to that Munster game.
Galway City councillor Ollie Crowe is pushing for a municipal stadium to be included in the redevelopment plans for the docklands area.
It would certainly be an incredible resource for our city and for future generations.
While Crowe admits actually achieving the project would be fraught with difficulties, he thinks it needs to be explored at the minimum. He points to the increased interest in the Connacht team and is calling on the GAA to consider letting Connacht play some of their games at Pearse Stadium next season for the Champions Cup:
Everyone has seen the demand for the upcoming semi-final against Glasgow and it seems obvious that the Sportsground could be filled a couple of times over for the game, which will be the same situation for the Champions cup fixtures next season.
Now there's an idea...
See Also: The 8 Classic Opinions Of The True Connacht Rugby Fan
Picture credit: Seb Daly / SPORTSFILE
