Looking ahead to 2015 – Club ’51 is back on the road

Looking ahead to 2015 – Club ’51 is back on the road

Time to plan

As the dust settles on our first FBD campaign under Noel and Pat, it’s time to start looking ahead to 2015 and to the first real competitive action of the season. With that, we turn our faces towards Killarney and the first Allianz National League game against the Kerrymen who broke our hearts below in Limerick last August. The less said about that the better, and as a new era begins, we will be getting behind our lads more than ever. On that note, it’s time for a quick update on the Club ’51 front on our plans for that game and for the subsequent games in the League.

Seating Groups

Seating groups are a good way of getting groups of supporters together in grounds with allocated seating. They were a great success last year and more and more people are either setting up or joining groups as the club grows. This year, you can use either your Croke Park or your Cairde Maigh Eo season ticket to join a seating group, and we have all the latest information and have started the list of 2015 groups in our post over hereWe’ve had loads of enquiries already from people interested in joining a seating group this year, so if  you already have one with vacant spaces or would like to set one up, let us know and we’ll put you in touch.

Getting To Away Games

We’ll be doing our usual car pooling posts (keep an eye on our forum here or contact us on Facebook, Twitter or email). Anyone with space in a car or a bus that needs filling over the coming weeks let us know! We’ll have information on parking etc. on the site too in due course. Don’t forget the ‘fiver for the driver’!

green and red Mayo car

Your car doesn’t have to look like this, but it helps

If anyone is organising buses to Killarney for 1st February, let us know and we’ll post them here. We have one so far:

  • The Sea Rod Inn, Doohoma are hoping to organise a bus – for queries contact Sean on 0851698851.

Pre-Match Meetups

From the first meeting in the Liffey Arms, Newbridge on 2nd Feb last year to various days out in Jury’s across from Croker these were a great success last year, so looking ahead to 2015 we’ll be continuing the new tradition of picking a pre-match meeting point close to the grounds for Mayo fans to congregate before games and  grab a cuppa/lunch/tipple/whatever tickles your fancy. We’ll be announcing these here the week before games and are looking for suggestions for Killarney, Cork and Derry.

Similarly, there will be a good crew making their way to away game venues the night before so what better excuse to go for a couple of scoops and psyche out the opposition fans?  We’ll also be making a weekend of the Dublin game so expect some Castlebar festivities to be announced close to St. Patrick’s weekend.

Sea of Green And Red

Mayo GAA looking ahead to 2015 - a sea of green and red

Image: Sean Óg Cafferkey

Part of the inspiration for Club ’51 came from these guys on Facebook who joined forces with us and were instrumental in making the Mayo support as loud and colourful as it was in 2014. We’re aiming for more of the same in 2015 and starting as we mean to go on. Last year Mayo revived an old tradition and we saw a huge increase in the number of flags at matches. Nowhere was it more evident than in the video below from the first Kerry game (scroll to 1.51). We want recreate the incredible atmosphere of that game many times again this year and you can play your part. If every household brings a flag, think of the spectacle we’ll create! So up you get into that attic and dig out the flags.

We have a number of Club ’51 flags, and if you’ve seen them in the grounds and want to get your hands on one of your own all the information you need is here.

Other Stuff

We’ll also be attempting to do the following over the coming months:

  • Organising more charity events after the success of our inaugural table quiz last year
  • More competitions – watch this space
  • Some more displays. This could be in the form of stick flags, banners or any other sort of visual display. We are eager to get people’s ideas on this so please don’t be shy, and if you’re feeling creative don’t hesitate to make your own flags or banners.
Everything's Coming Up Mayo banner in MacHale Park, Castlebar

‘Everything’s Coming Up Mayo’ by Lorraine Kelly and Mike Kelly

How You Can Get Involved

Making Club ’51 a success takes time and effort, but it’s also great fun and the more people involved, the better. So if there’s anything you’d like to get involved with, or if you feel you can lend some expertise, we’d love to hear from you. Be that writing some guest posts, helping us on our social media sites, volunteering at our table quizzes or sponsoring some competition or quiz prizes, we’d be delighted to welcome you on board.

Bring your own flags, but we are also  looking for 4-5 people to become flag custodians and wave our flags on match days. We have a good few people on this front but still have some that need a good, caring home with regular matchgoers –  and an energetic arm!

That’s it for now …

  .. but keep an eye out for updates, and spread the word ( you can share our posts on Facebook, retweet us, get our logo tattooed on your face, or just tell people you meet).

And most importantly, get out those flags, warm up the vocal cords and play your part in becoming the 16th man this year.

Maigh Eo Abú!

Mayo v Kerry – Car pooling to Limerick

Mayo v Kerry – Car pooling to Limerick

There’s been lots of wheeling and dealing over on our ticket swap forum in advance of the weekend. Hopefully by now you all have your tickets sorted, but if not, keep an eye on the site and on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Mayo GAA car pooling

Photo: Independent.ie

Now to get to Limerick! You’ll have seen all the travel  info over on our main page, but in the interests of (a) cutting down on traffic and (b) having the extra bit of craic and (c) cutting your petrol/diesel costs, why not consider car pooling? If anyone is looking for a lift, or willing to give a lift, here is the place to sort it out. Comment below if you have space in your car or are looking for space in someone else’s!

Remember to car pool responsibly and pay your way!

Safe travels all.

Meeting point for Westmeath vs. Mayo – Greville Arms Hotel, Mullingar

Meeting point for Westmeath vs. Mayo – Greville Arms Hotel, Mullingar

Club ’51 will be upstairs in Ulysses Bar from 11.30am – complimentary finger food available!

Meeting point for Westmeath vs. Mayo - Greville Arms Hotel, MullingarSunday’s hard-fought win vs. Kerry saw Mayo ease themselves into a more comfortable position on the Allianz National Football League Division 1 table, and it’s all to play for now.

Next Sunday it’s a trip to Mullingar to take on Westmeath who, under the stewardship of Paul Bealin (of the ’95 All-Ireland winning Dublin team) are struggling to find their feet in Division 1. Fighting for survival in the top flight, Westmeath will have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, so while Mayo should in theory comfortably take the points, this fixture is by no means a foregone conclusion.

Round 4 is nearly upon us already, and without further ado let’s get the ball rolling for next weekend’s meetup. The venue is the Greville Arms Hotel on Pearse St., Mullingar, just a few minutes’ walk from the ground. Throw-in is at the slightly later time of 2.30pm this week so an extra half hour in bed. There’ll be complimentary finger food upstairs in the Ulysses Bar, courtesy of the very helpful crew in the Greville Arms. There’ll be a carvery lunch available downstairs for hungry travellers and by all accounts they do a fine cup of tea. 🙂

Club ’51 will be in situ in the Greville Arms from 11.30am or so (we like to get the best seats in the house) and for those of you driving, there is parking to the rear of the hotel, there’s a public car park beside it (free on Sundays) and on-street parking.

Club ’51 inside the ground

On Sunday, we’d really like to try and get Club ’51 together inside the ground as well as out – after all, that’s what Club ’51 is all about! –  and the more of us there are in one spot, the more solid the support. With that in mind, we’ll be congregating in the reception area at 1.50pm to make our way to the ground in plenty of time, and we’d love you to join us. At away games we tend to locate ourselves in the same area of the stand, with the tunnel immediately to our left, so if you don’t make the meet-up, you’ll find us there.

Safe trip to all of you making the journey and we’ll see you there on the day.

Anyone interested in car pooling – either looking for or offering a lift to Mullingar on Sunday –  if you’ve signed up as a member of the site, head here. If you can’t access this, drop us a line and we’ll sort you out.


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Car Pooling – Westmeath vs. Mayo

Car Pooling – Westmeath vs. Mayo

Mayo Car

Photo: Balls.ie

Throw-in for Westmeath v Mayo in the second round of the Allianz National Football league is at the slightly later time of  2.30pm on Sunday in Cusack Park, Mullingar, and Club ’51 will be on location in the Greville Arms, Pearse St., from 11.30am.

If anyone has a bit of room and is willing to offer a lift on Sunday, drop a comment with your location and travel plans below – I’ll be leaving Dublin  early myself if anyone needs a seat. No Garth Brooks this time sadly – the radio’s on strike.

Similarly, if you’re stuck for a seat or just don’t fancy the drive, and are willing to contribute a few quid towards petrol, then it’s car pooling to the rescue – get posting below. Safe travels!

Meeting point for Tyrone v Mayo – Silver Birch Hotel, Omagh

Meeting point for Tyrone v Mayo – Silver Birch Hotel, Omagh

So Round 2 of the Allianz National Football League is nearly upon us already, and after a pulsating contest in Newbridge on Sunday last, we have another mouthwatering clash in store this weekend as we head for Omagh to take on Mickey Harte’s Red Hands. (That sounds a bit wrong, doesn’t it?) Get ready for another competitive clash – it’s Tyrone v Mayo time.

Anyway, Mayo Mick has suggested the Silverbirch Hotel in Omagh as a meeting point before the game. It’s located on the main Omagh to Gortin Road, on the way to Healy Park on the right hand side and has a large car park. From there it’s about half a mile, or a 10-minute walk to the ground. Parking near the ground is scant and is usually roadside.

Healy Park Tyrone-map

Healy Park Tyrone-map

There’ll be a few of the Club ’51 crew in the hotel from about 12pm getting the tea and sangwiches in prior to throw-in. Anyone interested in joining us to make some noise in Healy Park, the plan is to congregate in the Silverbirch and head down to the game in good time to get a spot.

So do join us, bring a flag or two, and help us to get #SeaofGreenAndRed off to an early start this year! Safe travels to all of you making the trip – and of course to those of you heading towards Croke Park to cheer on Kiltane – we’ll be there in spirit.

Anyone interested in car pooling – either looking for or offering a lift, if you’ve signed up as a member of the site, head here. If you can’t access this, drop us a line and we’ll sort you out.

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