Munster GAA have denied a proposal put forward by Waterford which would see the county play their 2019 home fixtures outside of the province. 

Walsh Park has been ruled as inadequate to host Munster championship games and the county has cited the fact they have to travel to other grounds for their home fixtures as a contributing factor to their poor 2018 Munster championship showing which saw them lose all of their matches outside of their draw with Tipperary.

Kilkenny’s Nowlan Park was touted as a potential ‘home’ venue for Waterford in 2019 due to it’s proximity to Waterford City but Munster GAA officials have voted down the proposal.

“Waterford proposed to amend the regulation whereby in the event a county is unable to host home games, it would be possible to nominate venues outside the province,” a statement read.

“This proposal was defeated. Discussions are ongoing in relation to Waterford hosting their 2019 Munster Senior Hurling Championship home games versus Clare and Limerick in Walsh Park, Waterford.”

Planning approval has been granted for upgrades to Walsh Park to bring the ground up to the required standards but it remains to be seen whether they will be implemented in time for Waterford’s Munster championship clash against Clare on 12 May 2019.