Pitch of the Year award for Castlebar

February 12, 2026

A view of the Paddy Moclair Cup ahead of the Mayo SFC final replay between Ballina Stephenites and Westport at Hastings MacHale Park ©INPHO/James Lawlor

Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Mayo has been announced as the winner of the prestigious GAA  Pitch of the Year award for 2025 with Chadwick’s Wexford Park coming runner up. 

The four finalists shortlisted in the 2025 Pitch of the Year were all visited by Stuart Wilson (Grounds  Management, Croke Park) and Ian McClements (iTurf Management).  

The two other finalists and high achievers were SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh and St. Tiernach’s in  Clones. 

As chairman of the National Pitch Workgroup, Stuart Wilson, said: “The Pitch of the Year recognises  the considerable efforts that go into the preparation of our pitches on a weekly basis, sometimes in  very difficult circumstances. 

“All the grounds were assessed against more than 30 criteria including pitch playing quality, pitch  presentation and performance as well as taking account of the resources available for management. 

“The extreme weather conditions and very high usage levels made the preparation of pitches  extremely challenging and the condition that these finalists achieved at the time of our visit  highlighted the level of dedication and commitment of both the staff and volunteers involved. 

“With such high standards across all grounds and scores between the four finalists very close, it was  difficult to allocate a winner and runner up but for 2025 Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Mayo  was considered to be the winner and Chadwicks Wexford Park the runner up.” 

The competition is sponsored by ICL, Turfcare and Campey Turfcare and the winners will receive a  range of products and tools they can use on their pitch.


Most Read Stories