13 February 2007

Croke Park: Millions of good reasons for accepting “foreign” sports

The decision to overturn its ban of “foreign” sports means that the GAA is potentially sitting on a goldmine which could bankroll the grassroots of the Association for the years axxording to today’s.
Examiner.

If the Association approves the use of Croke Park next year for competitive and non-competitive rugby and soccer internationals, it will net the GAA over €10m (£6.7m or $13m) in 2008. The indications are that Central Council will ratify up to ten more profile rugby and soccer internationals for Croke Park in 2008.

While agreement on competitive fixtures is likely, there is still some level of opposition within the rank and file GAA membership on handing over Croker for ‘non competitive’ or friendly internationals. However, it is understood that the IRFU and FAI have each pointed that the notion of non-competitive fixtures is a misnomer: rugby “tests” and football “friendlies” are part of a fixture programme, for which countries are ranked accordingly.

To be honest I don’t care for Gaelic Football but Hurling is a great sport (not that I ever actually played it – the consequences of giving me a weapon on a sporting pitch would have been disastrous!). Overcoming well over a century of dogma has been a resounding success and the prospect of lots of money for grassroot development must be an attractive idea.

4 comments:

elasticwaistbandlady said...

Yes, HURLING at CROKE Park says it all for me.

Was this arena named after someone with the surname Croke? Upon the demise, did people sit around lamenting that Croke had croked? I have such an inquisitive and serious mind.

jams o donnell said...

It was named after Archbishop Croke an early patron of the GAA. I can;t answer that one but the deaths in 1920 are ingrained in Irish history

elasticwaistbandlady said...

Ummmm, yeah, I didn't happen to read your very serious post underneath regarding the origins of the arena first. I'm not usually this clueless, jams. I swear!

jams o donnell said...

Ah no worries!!!!