Another Non story from the Indo about Croke Park

Benedict XVI

Not for the first time we have a non story from the Indo about the playing of soccer and rugby at Croke Park.

This is pure speculation

Croker looks set to remain open to soccer and rugby

By Martin Breheny
Thursday July 26 2007

MAJOR rugby and soccer internationals are likely to continue to be played in Croke Park after redevelopment work is completed in Lansdowne Road.

While the GAA insists that Croke Park will be locked to rugby and soccer once Lansdowne Road re-opens and the IRFU and FAI maintain that they will be quite happy with their new facility, all three acknowledge privately that the 30,000-capacity differential will become a major factor.

Apart from leaving 30,000 fans without tickets for the big soccer and rugby attractions, there's also the heavy financial loss which would be suffered by the three organisations if Croke Park is closed.

A packed Croke Park would yield at least €2.5m more per game than Lansdowne Road and with the GAA, IRFU and FAI all anxious to improve their revenue flow it's a cash-cow which will not go un-milked.

Majority

Lansdowne Road, which is currently under re-development at a cost of €365m, will obviously be used by the IRFU and the GAA for the majority of their games but the mega-events, such as Ireland v England and France Six Nations rugby games or major World Cup and European championship soccer qualifiers would be natural fits for the much bigger Croke Park.

The GAA has already taken the first step towards softening its approach on the continued use of Croke Park by sanctioning the hosting of friendly soccer and rugby games in 2008.

Two soccer games will be played next spring followed by two rugby games against New Zealand and Argentina in November.

That's in addition to the three six-nations rugby games and two World Cup soccer qualifiers, bringing to nine the number of non-GAA games in Croke Park next year.

If, as seems certain, a similar arrangement is put in place for 2009, the GAA will earn around €30 million in rent money before Lansdowne Road re-opens.

The GAA insists that once Lansdowne Road is redeveloped, Croke Park will close to rugby and soccer but the prospect of losing €1.75 million per game in rent money is likely to lead to a re-think. And if the GAA declares in two years time that they are prepared to continue to host rugby and soccer on a limited basis, the IRFU and FAI would have a tough job explaining to supporters why they were shoe-horning their big events into Lansdowne Road while Croke Park can house an extra 30,000.

The GAA, IRFU and FAI are all likely to dismiss suggestions of an extended deal at Croke Park in the short term as they pursue their separate agendas but the process of choreographing an arrangement which would bring massive financial benefit to all while also meeting with universal sporting approval is expected to start once Lansdowne Road is nearing completion in two years time.

- Martin Breheny

Personally I have no problem with CP being open for big games after Landsdown is finished, but it should not be at the expense of GAA games.

Example, if Munster or Linenster meet again in a European Cup Semi-Final the game should not be played in Croke Park at the expense of the NFL final.

The same goes for any soccer qualifiers that may be fixed for June or September (as is often the case).
The GAA games should get priority.

blackbelt

Well for such sporting fixtures that may clash with the GAA calendar,it is more logical to make the fixture for soccer qualifiers on a Wednesday if they are to use Croke Park.

Big rugby fixtures are never played mid-week so possibly a Saturday would suit if there is no qualifer,q-f or s-f.

I've no problem with CP being used but the state Irish soccer is in and the growing popularity of rugby would suggest that the GAA would be more concerned by the rugby fixtures as such the Ireland-England match which was a huge success.

Benedict XVI

blackbelt wrote:

Well for such sporting fixtures that may clash with the GAA calendar,it is more logical to make the fixture for soccer qualifiers on a Wednesday if they are to use Croke Park.

Big rugby fixtures are never played mid-week so possibly a Saturday would suit if there is no qualifer,q-f or s-f.

The problem arises when these soccer and rugby fixtures are out of the hands of the IRFU or FAI

In 2006 a French TV company decided that an all French European Cup semi-final be played on a Saturday, thus bumping the All Irish semi-final to the Sunday in Dublin, thus bumping the NFL final to 5.30pm in Limerick

Irish soccer in it's current state has less bargaining power at the fixture meeting and as a result a fixture in June or September may clash with a Leinster Championship double header or the All Ireland Hurling final

blackbelt wrote:

I've no problem with CP being used but the state Irish soccer is in and the growing popularity of rugby would suggest that the GAA would be more concerned by the rugby fixtures as such the Ireland-England match which was a huge success.

I would not worry too much, rugby will be back to being s**te again in a few years

blackbelt

Have to disagree.Rugby will always be interesting when the 6 nations are being played but possibly the Rugby World Cup,6 Nations in Croker,last years Heineken Cup winners Munster etc have added spice to the sport.

Hey,this is a GAA forum.:rolleyes:

kevmy

Talking to a guy who coaches kids in rural Galway he maintains the biggest threat to GAA is Rugby.

Since the GAA stronghold has always been the rural areas and soccer's is the cities and towns in a way they can coexist. But since the explosion in Rugby popularity in the last 10 yrs he reckons that the big lumps of guys fed on bacon and cabbage that used to be full back, midfield and full forward respectively on nearly all teams will now start to turn to there `talents' to rugby

blackbelt

Forgive me if anybody takes offence to this,I know probably a lot of you are rugby fans too but I think it would be sad to see people defect from GAA to rugby.No offense to rugby but GAA is more skill orientated where rugby is brute force and strength.Rugby also has its own culture here but is more or less confined to the clubs themselves whereas GAA fans will pack out the local pubs around the country and the streets in Dublin after a game in Croke Park
In terms of popularity,GAA mops the floor with soccer in Ireland.More viewing on tv and bigger attendences at games highlights this.However,rugby has increased in popularity in recent years that it could be considered GAA main rival.GAA is the kingpin of sport in Ireland however.I honestly can't see any other sport matching it in terms of excitement,drama,unpredictability and cultural setting.

thirdmantackle

there are less rugby clubs in connacht than there are gaa clubs in Leitrim for fecks sake! so its not really a huge threat. as long as GAA clubs and county competitions are well run - and that is where the problems lie

soccer is more of a problem in rural areas as the players get loads of games (one per week), they know when the games will take place and so can organise their lives around the games.

the GAA players train for 6 months then end up playing 3/4 important games in August and the year is over for them. who would want to do that? at any age level?

Sir Graball

blackbelt wrote:

No offense to rugby but GAA is more skill orientated where rugby is brute force and strength..

Don't think too many rugby players would agree with you.Now if you said hurling I'd agree totally but Gaelic football is a far less technical or skillful game than rugby.
On the GAA games getting priority of course it will happen. But the GAA should open up the facility if larger crowds could be accommodated at special events . A lot of tax-payer's money went into the place. Be sure the GAA wouldn't miss an opportunity to make money.

K-9

Sir Graball wrote:

On the GAA games getting priority of course it will happen. But the GAA should open up the facility if larger crowds could be accommodated at special events . A lot of tax-payer's money went into the place. Be sure the GAA wouldn't miss an opportunity to make money.

Or the IRFU as they are really going to need it. Can hardly make any money now without paying for Lansdowne so they'll be praying for Croker to be kept open.

Daysha

No surprises who wrote that excuse for an article. Its like Breheny decided one day to give himself the scoop of the year by announcing to the country Croker will be open after the Lansdowne redevelopment. What does he have to back up his claim? **** all. Something about more money to be made in Croker which we've all known for years.

He actually pulled that trick twice in todays Indo. The headline "Offaly, Laois and Antrim to get league reprieve" obviously states that all three teams WILL be reinstated into Division 1. Read on in the article however, and all he has to back it up is that some official said the current Division 1 setup will "take up an awful lots of weekends to run off". Nothing about an offical GAA announcement. Nothing about the GAA even remotely considering the possibility of those 3 teams returning to the top Division.

A note to Martin Breheny: either polish up your articles with some hard facts or head to the tabloids where you belong