Croker in the running to host athletics

[ludermor]

Apologies if this was mentioned earlier

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is planning to build a running track around Croke Park as part of a project to attract an international athletics grand prix to the capital.

The stadium's senior management has commissioned a feasibility study to see if the plan could be a runner. The track, if it goes ahead, would involve alterations to either the Hill 16 or Canal End of the stadium to allow for retractable seating to cover the track on match days.

The GAA has already recruited a former senior executive with Nike in Europe to advise it on the plan.

It is also believed to have held talks with senior Irish athletics figures, including Eamonn Coghlan, a former Olympian and World Champion, in an effort to secure support for the project.

Peter McKenna, the stadium's director, said the GAA is also working closely with the Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) to decide if a bid for an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) grand prix event could be secured.

The prestigious IAAF events are held all over the world, with the next one at Gateshead in northeast England later this month. Such events feature the world's top athletes such as Usain Bolt, the sprinter, Kenenisa Bekele, the Ethiopian distance runner, and Allyson Felix, the American 200m runner.

"In terms of other sports, there is a good opportunity for us with athletics and potentially hosting a grand prix event. We are certainly looking at that," said McKenna.

"We are talking with the right people. Ireland is very fortunate in that people like Coghlan are based here, which helps when we go knocking on doors internationally. It makes it a lot easier to punch above our weight," he said.

McKenna said he recently hired a team of international consultants to assess the merits of building a track around the Croke Park pitch, which today hosts an All-Ireland hurling semi final and a football quarter-final.

"They have already presented us with the results of the feasibility study, and they say we do in fact have the space to build a track that would be acceptable to the international athletics bodies," said McKenna. "But accredited tracks can have different configurations. The problem for us would be getting the 100m stretch with a bend at either end of it. The question is really how far into the Hill we would have to go with it," he said.

Initial concerns that the Croke Park pitch would not be wide enough for a track have been allayed, with McKenna suggesting that the track could be overlaid with sods of turf on match days to complete the playing surface.

McKenna said the plan is at an early stage. However, the GAA is known to be anxious to secure other sporting events to help plug a huge funding gap left by the reopening next year of the Aviva Stadium, formerly Lansdowne Road.

Each rugby and soccer international earned the GAA and Croke Park around €1.3m in rent. "We really need to have our ducks in a row in terms of some replacement events for 2011," said McKenna.

The AAI said it has been discussing the plan with GAA officials for several months, and is fully supportive of the project.

"The meetings have been very cordial," said Frank Greally, a spokesman for the AAI and the editor of Irish Runner magazine.

The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) has also backed the project, and said that Croke Park, which seats 82,000, could even be used as a venue for the Youth Olympics, the first of which will be held in Singapore next year.

"The OCI is completely in favour of it. Most of the major new stadiums around the world have retractable seating to accommodate athletics," said the OCI. "It would be our opinion that there should be at least one venue like this capable of holding a grand prix event in Ireland. Croke Park would be in prime position for it," said the OCI.

Croke Park, which temporarily ripped up its pitch to play host to three U2 concerts last month, has hosted athletics events in the past. In the 1920s and 1930s it was the venue for the Tailteann Games, a series of athletics events open to people of Irish descent, and photographs of the stadium from that period show a running track .

Ireland has a good record of hosting international athletics events. The world cross country championships have been held in the country on two occasions and this December the European Cross Country Championships are being held in Santry Demesne.

GAA purists who oppose Croke Park being used for other sports should also have their fears allayed by the fact that the GAA was originally founded to cater for athletics, hence its name. Maurice Davin and Michael Cusack, after whom two stands in Croke Park are named, were both international track athletes.


There would want to be a hell of a lot of work done to ensure the pitch is looked after, would they be planning on resetting over the track every time it is needed?

[rrhf]

MAybe Im not being ambitious enough, but there could be a great opportunity to play National league finals in it as well.   

[pearseog]

The stadium's senior management has commissioned a feasibility study to see if the plan could be a runner.

no pun intended!

[Jinxy]

As someone who also has a big interest in athletics I think this is a great idea.

[GalwayBayBoy]

A cricket pitch would also look nice.

[JMohan]

It'll not make enough money to run

[Zulu]

I've a big interest in athletics myself but I'm not sure I'd be in favour of anything that further impacts upon the pitch surface. It is now and should remain a GAA pitch not a ground that occasionally holds an ould GAA game in between youth Olynpics, concerts and God knows what else. I'm not strictly against it but I'd like to know more before supporting the concept.

[theskull1]

Athletics used to be part of festival/carnival activities in the past and I would love to see such things taking place again

Great clip from the Feis na nGleann held in Glenariffe in 1984
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsB5pQO0wWo

[JMohan]

Depending on the concept the people would be further back from the field too

[rrhf]

I dont see how it would work.  A normal track around a field is 400 metres isnt that right, now thats around a towdy wee soccor field.  If you put a track around a gaelic field she'll be a lot longer and they'll be dropping like flies half way round er. 

[Maguire01]

Depending on the concept the people would be further back from the field too

Eh, did you miss the 'retractable seating' plan?

[JMohan]

Depending on the concept the people would be further back from the field too

Eh, did you miss the 'retractable seating' plan?

On all 4 sides?

[Maguire01]

Depending on the concept the people would be further back from the field too

Eh, did you miss the 'retractable seating' plan?

On all 4 sides?

At the Hill and Canal ends. Tracks under the sod on the 2 long sides.

[Jinxy]

The GAA should take over the running of athletics in this country.

[JMohan]

The GAA should take over the running of athletics in this country.

Not wrong there

Sure they can't even get on with one another