Cusack Park is no more after Clare GAA have announced the decision to switch the name of the Ennis venue going forward.
Name changes have become a more and more common sight around football and hurling with county boards look to expand their revenue.
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The decision for Supervalu to take on the naming rights of Páirc Uí Chaoimh did not go down well when the initiative was first announced early last year.
Cusack Park is the next venue on the list after Clare GAA confirmed the ground will be known as Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg going forward.
Cusack Park renamed
The decision comes following the agreement of a sponsorship deal with Zimmer Bioment, an American medical device company.
The deal is set to last for the next three years. Additionally, the English spelling of the stadium has now been made obsolete altogether.
Named after Michael Cusack, one of the founders of the GAA in 1884, it has been changed to Chíosóg to reflect that the north Clare native never went by the English spelling of his name during his lifetime.
The new sponsorship, however, has not gone down well with some wider members of the hurling and GAA community.
Writing and discussing the matter on social media, some see the deal as Clare GAA ‘selling out’ to investors.
One fan made it clear that, in their opinion, perhaps the Supervalu deal in Cork was not as bad as it first seemed.
‘Clare’s home grounds to be called “Zimmer Biomet Cusack Park” after naming rights deal,’ they wrote. ‘Supervalu Park got a hard time looking back.
Another fan joked that the new moniker really ‘rolls of the tongue’ for those working on commentary at the venue.
A fellow user fumed: ‘Cusack Park is to be renamed Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg. What type of nonsense is this.’
On a similar note, another added: ‘Catchy. It’ll be in a Christy Moore song in no time.’
Some even thought that the news was just April Fool’s Day come early: ‘April the 1st is a month away lads.’
The news comes following the tough blow for reigning All-Ireland champions Clare that they will be without star man Shane O’Donnell for the 2025 season.
O’Donnell has not featured for Brian Lohan’s men in the Hurling League, in a move similar to the decisions taken not to partake in the spring competition in 2023 or 2024.
All in all, O’Donnell has recently undergone surgery on a shoulder for an injury sustained in last year’s All-Ireland final.
The subsequent lay-off period for the Éire Óg man will see him miss both the Munster Championship and the All-Ireland series, should Clare progress to the latter stages.