GAA should open Gaelic Grounds 'or else' - Limerick Councillor

[Blue06]

Something just off the topic here.  It has been said in the media that UEFA would like to play the Champions League Final in CP.

Now my question is Could the GAA organise this themselves with UEFA (just like hosting a rock concert) or would the FAI have to be involved?

[Hound]

Something just off the topic here.  It has been said in the media that UEFA would like to play the Champions League Final in CP.

Now my question is Could the GAA organise this themselves with UEFA (just like hosting a rock concert) or would the FAI have to be involved?

Whatever about what the GAA or the FAI might decide in the future, there is no chance of UEFA ever picking Croke Park to host a Champions League final, while the Hill is a terrace. Terraces or temporary bucket seats would not be acceptable to UEFA for the showpiece event of European club soccer.

If Lansdowne Road ever gets built it would have a strong chance of hosting a UEFA Cup final and an outside chance of a CL final.

Back on topic, Keith Wood has said he'd love to see Munster and Leinster playing in Croke Park! The media in the next couple of weeks is going to be full of this. The QFs might not be too bad as at least they have Musgrave Pk and Ravenhill as options. If either gets a home semi-final draw though it'll build hugely, and I can only imagine what it will be like if they draw each other in the semi-finals....
Great fun!

[Turfsmoke]

Sure, lets all be pally together and share and share alike. Sure aren't we all sports people at the end of the day. while we're at it, lets broaden the thing out a bit:

FF/FG/Labour /The PDs make their offices available to the Shinners and any other political rival whos a bit short on space (only when they're not using them of course)
Croke Park  provide a bit of space to ease the FAI pressure at Merrion Square ... anybody else out there short of an office or two?
RTE's Premiership and all other soccer programmes make a prime slot available for the GAA
Likewise re rugby
When we're at it, try to make Sky do the same
No more messing re Tallaght, it takes GAA, full-stop
Redesign the new Landsdown , if it ever happens, to do the same
RTE makes their studios and other assets available to any other existing or would be tv outfits out there
Ryanair does the same for their competitor airlines
Irish Times lets the Independent, An Poblacht and anybody else who's interested use their facilities (for a price of course and only when they're not using them)
Stick a couple of GAA pitches in front of the stands at the Curragh, Galway etc
The big global sports, soccer and rugby, shares their cash goodies with us poor relations
When my pig flies it shares the trip with your pig

What was that line about catering for everything and standing for nothing?

[Romeo]

One thing on all of this, has anything been bulldozed yet at Lansdowne? ? If not why not use that for any home semi finals?

Also, by the sounds coming from the French rugby clubs, this could be the last year for big matches for any of our provinces!

[armaghniac]

One thing on all of this, has anything been bulldozed yet at Lansdowne? ? If not why not use that for any home semi finals?

thats the most sensible suggestion I've heard all day. Even if work had started then surely demolition could start at one end of Lansdowne in any case, allowing a capacity of 25,000 or so, which would be ideal.

[magpie seanie]

Don't be coming up with suggestions like that. We can't bash those muckers in the GAA with them.

[Hardy]

I'm just imagining the fury here if the IRFU decided to open Lansdowne for a game now, given that the Croke Park dispensation is conditional on Lansdowne being closed. It'd makes sense though, if the Health and Safety people were happy.

In any case, it's no concern of mine where they play the games, apart from wishing we could take advantage of the revenue opportunity, not just in Dublin, but all around the country. But that's for another campaign, when the dust has settled after the initial desecration of the sod and the 'no' people notice that the sky hasn't fallen in, that the revenue is very nice and that the other major field sports are like arab nomads - plenty of money, but nowhere to live - while we have an embarrassment of luxury accommodation lying idle during the height of their season, that we refuse to exploit properly because of either an outdated ideology or introversion, fear and lack of confidence. 

[Fionntamhnach]

Does anyone find it slightly nerving that someone from Stab City comes out with something sounding like a threat with "or else"?

[dublinfella]

To me, this councillor's comments, much of the press coverage, and the comments of some pro-soccer bigoted fellas on this board are all symptomatic of a trend where the gaa is regarded as some sort of semi-state body.

To these people, the GAA's property is not its own, to be used as it sees fit in furthering its aims, ie the promotion of GAELIC GAMES.

No, instead, it is the right of these opinion makers of the English tabloids, Irish independent, Fair supporters, and "the general public" to decide how the GAA uses its real estate.

In their rush to blame the GAA for the lack of soccer / rugby stadiums, surely those mouthing off should look at the real problems.
Ireland has a population of just over 5 million and can't support the number of proper stadiums that each code needs.

If Limerick had one fully covered, all seated municipal stadium, capable of hosting rugby, soccer and Gaelic games, then this row wouldn't be happening. To get such a stadium, all codes would need to contribute financially and co-operate in a civilised manner.
Most importantly, the Govt / general public would have to pay a large share.

Its perverse that the organisation that has managed to build most facilities, with marginal public assistance should be getting abuse heaped on it.

Public contribution to GAA ground development has been marginal.
These whingers will only have any valid case when the public pick up the majority of stadium development costs.
Until that time comes they should shut up, or even better go lobby the government if necessary to build civc stadiums capable of being used by all codes.

so you will happily share their grounds but not allow them to share ours?

interesting the line (which I agree with) all codes would need to contribute financially and co-operate in a civilised manner. Ie the opposite of the GAA's semi official stance on LR and Tallaght?

We cant as an association complain that some people expect us to allow other sports into gaelic gronds that have, and lets be real here snatter, in many cases recieved much more than marginal financial support (Pearse stadium in Galway got a higher % public funding than tallaght will, and the council are retaining ownership of it), while going to the courts demanding access to other codes grounds. its having our cake and eating it too. we either embrace ground sharing or we dont. its not as simple as opening CP and getting abuse for it.

and I love the fact that I report my surprise at the attitude change towords the GAA of a rugby man that he and some others in the moid ranks of the IRFU are unhappy with some aspects of their treatment, as it appears are the FAI, and Im on a wind up, invented the whole story etc. its the internet equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ear and going LALALALA. as was mentioned earlier, there is a propensity from some on this site for schadenfreude and attacking all and anything they disagree with total irrationality. and of course because i mentioned this i agree with it