Meath GAA are keen to retain home advantage for what would be their first National Football League game against Dublin in the county for 35 years.
In the provisional set of 2023 league fixtures, Dessie Farrell’s Dublin are scheduled to travel to Navan to play Meath at Páirc Tailteann on Saturday, March 18th.
Remarkably, despite being neighbouring counties, Dublin’s last league game against the Royals in Meath took place in December 1988. Dublin have not played a championship match against Meath in Navan since 1980.
Meath, who will be managed by Colm O’Rourke in 2023, will also have Division Two home league games against Clare and Louth but are to be away in four matches - against Cork, Derry, Limerick and Kildare. All fixtures are provisional for now, and subject to change, but with only a maximum of three home matches out of seven it appears the Royals would resist any moves to take the Dublin game to Croke Park.
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“Meath GAA would want to play as many homes games as possible and look forward to welcoming all the visiting counties to Páirc Tailteann,” they said in a statement released to The Irish Times.
Dublin have played league and championship games in Navan since the eighties, but against other counties, including a Leinster championship win over Louth in 1995 and a 2008 Division Two league final loss against Westmeath.
They have also played O’Byrne Cup and charity matches against Meath there over the years, but it is over three decades since the counties contested a league football match outside of the capital, Dublin running out 1-12 to 0-4 winners of that match in December 1988. Meath were back-to-back All-Ireland champions in 1987-88.
The provisional football fixtures for the opening weekend of next year’s league in Division One includes Mayo hosting Galway on Saturday, January 28th. Mayo, who will have four games in Castlebar during next year’s competition, played all of their home league games at neutral venues this season due to upgrade works at MacHale Park.
Kerry will start the defence of their league title with an away fixture in Donegal on Sunday, January 29th. Roscommon will open their campaign against Tyrone in Dr Hyde Park on the same afternoon, while Monaghan will be at home to Tyrone.
Dublin, who will be looking to make an immediate return to the top flight, will open their Division Two programme against Kildare at Croke Park on Saturday, January 28th.
