Croke to get a roof

[ziggysego]

Hasn't this story been knocked about for years, resurfacing every so often? It never comes to anything and most likely won't this time either.

[Bogball XV]

Jaysus the lengths they're prepared to go to, just to ensure there'll be no money to pay players!

[tayto]

 

[Over the Bar]

Is the railway line not a big problem for "completing the oval"?

If engineers could make a start on the London Underground over a century ago, then I'm sure a hick-town rail connection on the northside shouldn't present much a problem nowadays.

[ziggysego]

Did they ever put them small screen dotted around the inside of the lower stands for people who can't see the Big Screens at Croke Park? I heard they were to do that for last year, but I didn't get to Croke Park in 2006

[supersarsfields]

It seems the GAA are more interested in having a spectular center piece to impress everyone than actually putting the money into promoting the games. This money would be better spent either up-grading other pitches or invested into promoting the games in areas of need. Putting a roof on Croke Park would not be very high up on the list of priorities i would have thought, unless of course there are other none GAA factors.

[tayto]

Lets not get too carried away until we know if they're actually going to go ahead with it, and it's also worth remembering that the renovation to date has been an outragious success in terms of promoting the imagine of the association.

[kilkennycat2004]

I thought I was against a roof till I visited the Cardiff Millennium Stadium last May for a football play-off match that was on the same day as Dublin & Westmeath hurling come water polo game was played here.
In similar weather  conditions in Cardiff the game was played with the roof on & in perfect conditions.
it actually added to the atmosphere if anything.
Its a great idea, the sooner the better IMHO.

[tayto]

It is worth it for the odd freakishly wet summers day? 30 million is a lot of dough! The Dublin westmeath match should justhave been postponed, but that's a different arguement, besides it wasnt played in Croke Park. [i know you're only mentioning it for weather comparisons but unless we're going to roof every ground we're still going to have games postponed]

[ziggysego]

Well the wind and rain could blow in sideways from the Hill!

[supersarsfields]

Dont get me wrong KKcat. I think a roof would prob help the stadium. It's more a case of priorities. And a roof on croke park would not be near the top of my wish list!!

[Turfsmoke]

Some questions;

1. Why are we putting floodlights in Croke Park? Excluding Dublin v Tyrone, all hyped up as a once off and only needing a nighttime throw in because some body else is getting the use of our pride and joy when Dublin and Tyrone should be playing there, what are the big night time GAA matches that will be played there? Who will need lights in the months of May to September? Not us and not anybody else either. Who will need lights in the months October to April? Not us - but definitely someone else!

2. Reapply the questions above to a roof on Croke park. Do you get the same answers?

3. How come the government very quietly handed over a large sum to help fund the lights? The same govt that seems prepared to do anything to keep us out of the Tallaght stadium.

4. How is the decision actually made about these huge significant steps for us? Any motions proposing these at any conventions out there these past few weeks? I certainly didn't see any.

5. Am I just paranoid?

[Evil Genius]

I thought I was against a roof till I visited the Cardiff Millennium Stadium last May for a football play-off match that was on the same day as Dublin & Westmeath hurling come water polo game was played here.
In similar weather  conditions in Cardiff the game was played with the roof on & in perfect conditions.
it actually added to the atmosphere if anything.
Its a great idea, the sooner the better IMHO.

I have been in the Millennium, both closed and open, and agree with you that when closed, it helps make for a cracking atmosphere.
That said, as both Cardiff and some of the German World Cup stadia have proved, even where a retractable roof is purpose-built from scratch, it is hugely expensive and technically very difficult (Cardiff has stuck "half-closed" on more than one occasion)
I would assume that fitting some such roof over Croke Park retrospectively would be even more expensive/difficult?
The other issue when redeveloping a stadium (touched upon in the "Sunlamp" thread) is preserving the pitch so that the grass grows readily.
Many Soccer stadia have realised that when they enclose the ground on all four sides, this often knackers the pitch, since the wind cannot get through. As such, wind is even more important than sunlight (though several new stadia are these days being designed with transparent section to their roofs).
One of the grounds suffering most from this is Chelsea, where they have to install a brand new pitch at least twice a season, at £100k a throw! With a roof on CP, might the GAA be considering hosting more matches/events than Chelsea's 30-odd matches per year?

[Gnevin]

Some questions;

1. Why are we putting floodlights in Croke Park? Excluding Dublin v Tyrone, all hyped up as a once off and only needing a nighttime throw in because some body else is getting the use of our pride and joy when Dublin and Tyrone should be playing there, what are the big night time GAA matches that will be played there? Who will need lights in the months of May to September? Not us and not anybody else either. Who will need lights in the months October to April? Not us - but definitely someone else!

Like the light in Parnell Park and around the country . Lights free up 5 days a week where football and hurling could not be played . Alot of the games now played under light in Parnell are kids games and the club championship . It makes sense to allow as may people play in croker as possible if lights will allow great number of games to be played their

4. How is the decision actually made about these huge significant steps for us? Any motions proposing these at any conventions out there these past few weeks? I certainly didn't see any.
They dont need to be as their are no rules being changed

5. Am I just paranoid?

Yes you are

[red hander]

Will a roof not cause havoc with the pitch?  The Millennium Stadium pitch has to be relaid regularly as far as I'm aware...