Sean MacCumhaills members will vote within the next ten days on whether Finn Harps can play home matches at MacCumhaill Park during the 2027 League of Ireland First Division season. The proposal would give the Ballybofey football club a temporary base across town while their own ground, Finn Park, undergoes redevelopment.
Officials outlined the request at an information meeting in the Sean MacCumhaills clubhouse on Thursday, 12 November, with Finn Harps chief executive Christian Happel in attendance. No decision was taken at the meeting, and members of the Gaelic games club will reconvene to vote on the application, according to RTÉ Sport’s report.
How the groundshare would work
Initial reports described the approach as a request to use MacCumhaill Park one night every fortnight between March and November 2027, though later reports refer to the ground as Harps’ proposed home base for the season. The precise access schedule has not been made public. Harps would not use the venue for training, and on matchdays only the main stand would open while the terraces stay closed.
Pitch protection is a key issue because MacCumhaill Park’s playing surface only reopened in May 2026 after resurfacing. Harps told Thursday’s meeting they would hire a full-time grounds person if the deal is approved to prepare the pitch for football, mark the lines, and put up and remove temporary goal frames. Clear terms on maintenance and responsibility for any wear will also need to form part of any final agreement.
Financial arrangements remain unclear ahead of the ballot. Club representatives did not disclose figures at the meeting for a rental fee or any other payments, leaving members without confirmed financial details.
Finn Park redevelopment drives the request
Harps need a temporary venue because of planned construction work at Finn Park following members’ backing of Freddy Gonzalez’s takeover proposal earlier in November. Gonzalez has said the upgrade will include a new playing surface, improved floodlights, new stands, and terracing. Sharing MacCumhaill Park would allow the club to keep playing in the Twin Towns during the build rather than moving home games elsewhere from the start.
Preparatory work outlined by Gonzalez involves environmental testing, ground testing, and topographical studies. He has said he hopes construction can begin before pre-season, while noting that planning requires further steps. Neither the final construction timetable nor a completion date has been confirmed publicly.
GAA commitments and early-season scheduling gaps
Any groundshare deal must fit around Gaelic games at MacCumhaill Park, which is a major venue for both Sean MacCumhaills and Donegal GAA. Donegal are due to play four home fixtures in the 2027 National Football League Division 1 campaign. Local reporting suggests O’Donnell Park in Letterkenny and Fr Tierney Park in Ballyshannon are likely to stage two of those games, though the full venue plan is not yet confirmed.
A separate scheduling question affects the opening weeks of the football season. The 2027 League of Ireland First Division campaign begins in mid-February, while Harps’ reported request covers March to November. The club has not publicly explained where it would play any home matches scheduled before March.
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Limited alternatives if members reject the plan
According to Donegal Live’s account of Thursday’s meeting, members were told that MacCumhaill Park is the only stadium in County Donegal that the Football Association of Ireland is prepared to sanction for Harps. No alternative venue has been named publicly, and the FAI has not issued a public statement confirming that MacCumhaill Park is the county’s only eligible option. That point therefore reflects what Harps representatives reportedly told the room rather than an independent statement from the governing body.
Temporary groundshares between football and Gaelic games venues have worked elsewhere in Ireland. In 2026, Derry City played five matches at Celtic Park, the home of Derry GAA, during renovation work at the Brandywell, while Bohemians are set to use the RDS for some fixtures during the redevelopment of Dalymount Park. Such arrangements rely on agreement between the clubs, venue owners, and governing bodies involved.
If Sean MacCumhaills members vote against the proposal within the next ten days, Harps will have to search outside County Donegal for a temporary home. Approval would allow the two Ballybofey clubs to work toward a formal agreement ahead of the 2027 season.
