A MAJOR standoff between Antrim's footballers and Ulster GAA is set to rumble on with the Saffrons adopting a 'Corrigan or Nowhere' stance at the prospect of home advantage for their Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final with Armagh on April 12 being ripped away.
It emerged in recent weeks that the Ulster Council considered the 4,000 capacity Corrigan Park to be inadequate to handle the demand for the fixture - reiterated in a statement released on Friday - with Antrim set to be given options to host the game on neutral turf.
However, that scenario has not been accepted by Antrim's players who are set to dig their heels in - insisting the integrity of the competition must be upheld and a home draw means a home draw, or they walk.
Antrim have had just one home game in the Ulster Championship since Casement Park closed in 2013. That came against Cavan back in 2022 at Corrigan Park when a similar issue arose, but it eventually went ahead at Corrigan Park following similar resistance coupled with work on the venue carried out by the Anrim County Board.
The only other time Antrim came out of the hat first since the closing of Casement was in 2019 when they were forced to play Tyrone in Armagh, but later that summer they hosted Kildare in the All-Ireland Qualifiers and that appears to have been the line in the sand.
Antrim's hurlers have also hosted some huge games, including an All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final against Cork in 2022, while Kilkenny, Galway, Wexford and Dublin have been other high-profile counties to visit Belfast in the Leinster Championship.
Speaking to BBC Sport NI on Thursday, Antrim forward Paddy McBride laid out their stance in no uncertain terms, insisting they play at the West Belfast venue or not at all.
"We spoke as players already," he confirmed.
"We said we sacrifice too much to lie down. If it's not going to be where it's meant to be, then we'll not play it.
"It's one we all agreed with. It wasn't deliberated on, it wasn't debated, we just said this is what we're standing for and we're sticking with it."
Antrim last faced Armagh in the Ulster SFC back as recently as 2023 when an Easter Saturday game attracted just over 10,000 to the Athletic Grounds as the Orchard County were the home team.
Of course, a similar attendance would be anticipated and possibly surpassed with Armagh the reigning All-Ireland champions.
Fans of the Orchard County are known for backing their team in large numbers and it's believed they have in the region of 3,500 season ticket holders who are entitled to purchase a ticket for each championship game.
That number couldn't be accommodated for a game at Corrigan Park, but demand outstripping supply is nothing new in sport and sacrifices must be made.
Still, the Ulster Countcil have reiterated their own position but seem to have left the door slightly ajar with talks ongoing.
In a statement, they said: "Home venues for the senior inter-county championship games are subject to the approval of the relevant CCC, and they must be in compliance with health and safety standards.
"Corrigan Park has a certified capacity of 4,000. The minimum number of tickets required to accommodate this fixture (including players charter, match officials, multi-sponsors, media, season tickets etc) will exceed the venue capacity.
"Therefore, Corrigan Park does not meet the required health and safety standard to accommodate this fixture.
"Ulster GAA met with Antrim GAA officials last month to review the situation in detail, and those discussions remain ongoing."
