https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2024/0323/1439607-green-light-for-soccer-rugby-at-major-gaa-venues/
The GAA has granted permission for "rugby and soccer activity" to take place in Croke Park and Supervalu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in the coming months.
Meetings of the GAA's Management Committee and Central Council took place on Friday night and Saturday.
At the GAA's annual Congress in 2019, the green light had been given by 91% of delegates to allow games other than Gaelic football and hurling to be played at county grounds, once approved by Central
Council.
Last October, Cavan's Kingspan Breffni hosted an Ulster Rugby pre-season game against Glasgow Warriors - the first Ulster Rugby game hosted at a GAA ground.
This latest news signals further activity from both codes in two of the association's marquee venues in the near future.
The venue for the Republic of Ireland women's team's Euro 2025 qualifier against France on Tuesday 16 July has yet to be confirmed.
The Aviva Stadium - which will host their other two qualifiers against England and Sweden - is unavailable, while Shamrock Rovers could potentially be in Tallaght Stadium for a Champions League first-round qualifier the same night as the French come to town.
The FAI have yet to confirm where that game will take place but the prospect of the Girls in Green heading to Cork is not unfathomable.
Recently, Croke Park has been slated as a possible fan zone venue for the UEFA Europa League final in May if needed, and last winter it was used as a fan's event base for a Pittsburgh Steelers NFL game.
Páirc Uí Chaoimh hosted its first rugby match on 10 November 2022. That fixture broke the record for the biggest crowd to attend a rugby match in the province with 41,400 in attendance as Munster beat South Africa 'A' 28 to 14.
In February of this year, URC champions Munster hosted Super Rugby winners the Crusaders at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. That clash sold out the GAA venue in the staging of its first game since the
rebranding of the stadium.
In 2018, a testimonial match for the late Republic of Ireland soccer international, Liam Miller, was held at the Leeside venue.
Back in 2005, approval was first given for the gates of Croke Park to be temporarily opened for rugby and soccer internationals while Lansdowne Road was being redeveloped.
Even though the move was not permanent it necessitated a lengthy campaign by officials to gain approval from within the GAA.
Down through the years, however, Croke Park had provided a home to non-GAA events.
The Tailteann Games were held there in the 1920s, while in 1946, an exhibition of American football games was held at Jones' Road.
In 1972, Muhammad Ali beat Al 'Blue' Lewis at a boxing bout there, with Croke Park hosting a college American football game in 1996.
UCF played Penn state in a college football game in croker in 2014 too
Croke Park staged a Mixed martial arts bout back in 1996 too.
Central Council were blindsided by the Breffni Kingspan Ulster Rugby event as the thing had been publicised before Central Council had even discussed it, making it very hard for them to row back on it, but Cavan CB evidently knowing that it's easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission!
No problem with staging a game. The aviva prob shouldn't be hosting concerts during a season thry know it may be needed. But croke pk hosting a fan zone? I hope they're getting well paid for that. Because they charge their own patrons enough to view their games.
Quote from: johnnycool on March 25, 2024, 09:18:27 AMCentral Council were blindsided by the Breffni Kingspan Ulster Rugby event as the thing had been publicised before Central Council had even discussed it, making it very hard for them to row back on it, but Cavan CB evidently knowing that it's easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission!
It was only right that it hosted that game, Ulster Rugby are trying very hard to reach out through the whole 9 counties and I am glad to see the GAA obliging.
GAA better nake sure they get a good deposit off the soccer crowd before they let them in.