Ulster Rugby to play at GAA venue with historic pre-season game at Kingspan Breffni

Ulster Rugby will make history in October by playing at a GAA venue for the first time, when they take on Glasgow Warriors in their final pre-season game at Kingspan Breffni in Cavan.

With Kingspan Stadium in Belfast ruled out due to the installation of a 3G pitch, Ulster will take on Glasgow in their pre-season fixture at the home of Cavan football on 7 October.

While it will mark the first time an Ulster GAA venue has hosted an Ulster game, their Ravenhill Stadium home has hosted Gaelic football before, with a 13-a-side match being played there in 2014 in aid of former Antrim captain Anto Finnegan and to raise awareness of Motor Neurone Disease.

In their statement on the news, Ulster Rugby said that while "the game marks a historic first, it reflects how the governing bodies regularly come together to promote rugby and Gaelic games across the province at a grassroots and professional level."

Ulster CEO Jonny Petrie said: "With upgrades of Kingspan Stadium ahead of the 2023/24 season ongoing, including the new high-performance 3G pitch, our pre-season fixture this year offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with Ulster GAA on hosting a senior men's game in another part of the province.

"Our thanks go to our friends at Ulster GAA and Cavan GAA for offering us the use of Kingspan Breffni, and their support in putting on the fixture. We hope that both our season ticket holders and supporters who regularly travel from the local area to attend games in Belfast, and those who may be new to the sport, will enjoy an entertaining afternoon."

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