All Blacks and Beckham to play in Croke Park

[resdubwhite]

poppycock.

Check the IRFU's year end financial reports.
THe made in excess of three million Euro per Six natinos game in Croke park.

[deiseach]

the GAA take €1.5m per game plus a percentage of the food, bar, programmes etc. The FAI/IRFU have to pay insurance, security, electricity for the floodlights etc. Its not hard to see the FAI comong out with less than the GAA when everything is paid for.

According the Sunday Business Post, the sale of 68,000 seats at €70 per head would amount to €4.5 million. That leaves over €3 million for the IRFU and FAI from each game, not including advertising revenue or the IRFU being able to use the Hill when the All Blacks come to town. Now, perhaps you think the sale of a few hotdogs increases the GAA's take, and the hiring of a few heavies and paying the ESB bill (something they presumably did in Lansdowne Road) reduces the IRFU's and the FAI's take, to the point where the GAA comes out ahead. But that would be a crossover of cost / revenue of at least €1.5 million. So it is, I think, quite hard to see that happening.

[dublinfella]

the FAI are charging far less per ticket than €70

[The Real Laoislad]

the FAI are charging far less per ticket than €70

The two tickets i got for the Wales and Slovakia matches were 70euro each

[deiseach]

the FAI are charging far less per ticket than €70

What are they charging then?

The two tickets i got for the Wales and Slovakia matches were 70euro each

Ahem.

Huge prices for Croke Park internationals
Friday, 14 July 2006 13:39

RTÉ has learned that top tickets at rugby internationals in Croke Park will cost over €1,000.

When Ireland play France and England next February, the IRFU will charge €850 plus VAT per person in a corporate box, resulting in a cost of more than €1,000 per person.

With almost 2,000 seats at this level the IRFU can earn almost  €2million just from the corporate boxes alone.

That sum alone will cover the reported rental cost to the GAA of €1.5million per match.

That still leaves the IRFU with another 75,000 tickets to sell including almost 9,000 in the exclusive Premium Level selling at €110.

Ordinary stand tickets will cost €80.

Under an agreement with Croke Park Stadium Ltd, the existing box holders will be given first refusal at a cheaper price. They can attend for €750 plus VAT, a cost of over €900 per person.

The FAI has told RTÉ that corporate box tickets will be under €400 per person.

Tickets will be sold as a bundle.  Therefore to take a box for the high demand game against Germany, you will also have to take it for the game against Cyprus.

The game with Wales will be bundled with the match against Slovakia.

Premium level tickets for soccer internationals are expected to cost €85, with stand tickets priced at €50 and €70.

An IRFU spokesman said the difference in price merely reflects the different markets involved.

Ahem, cough, splutter.

[his holiness nb]

Lads Roversfella hates the gaa, never mind not being a "proper" GAA man.
He hates them, this much is obvious.
I think its bad form the FAI having England over, the though of their soccer fans wrecking the place was in most GAA peoples mind when the rules were being debated.
Now thats theres no actual need to have them here its just bad form.
Then again its to be expected from the FAI.

[Dinny Breen]

I think its bad form the FAI having England over

Is this confirmed, or is it just pie in the sky tabloid sensationalism. Surely the security costs alone would be prohibitive, no?

[his holiness nb]

Thats "if" they do, I havent heard anything other than whats on this thread.
I presume if there was anything to it, it would be all over the papers and the radio, so doubt its true.

[Hound]

Lads Roversfella hates the gaa, never mind not being a "proper" GAA man.
He hates them, this much is obvious.
I think its bad form the FAI having England over, the though of their soccer fans wrecking the place was in most GAA peoples mind when the rules were being debated.
Now thats theres no actual need to have them here its just bad form.
Then again its to be expected from the FAI.

There's not a hope in hell of England playing a friendly in Croker. They'll be trying to get Italy, France, Brazil or Argentina. They'll end up with Poland.

[amallon]

The March 8th Rugby fixture is the only one that I'd have any concern over as its so close to the All Ireland club finals.  The rest of the fixtures I have no problem with as the stadium will be idle at this time of the year anyway.  We got to maximize revenue from our greatest asset.

[Hound]

One of the many proposals are that two defeats in the hurling and football championships would mean automatic elimination
What does that mean?

Yeah, its all bullshít.

If it was Waterford who had lost twice and drawn Munster champions Cork, then there'd be nothing about it, maybe people even saying what a great system it is.

But if Cork beat Waterford, then there'll be a huge amount of crying about how Waterford are out having lost just once, but Cork go on despite having lost twice.

The rules are in place before a sliothar was thrown in. Everyone knew them. Ergo they are perfectly fair. For years now there has always been the opportunity that a provincial champion can get knocked out of the All Ireland by a team they beat in the provincial championship. Its great when an Offaly or Waterford or Clare do it, but if Cork or Kilkenny do it then all the girls come out with their crying.  

[magpie seanie]

I thought friendly internationals were not allowed? Maybe the wool was pulled over my eyes....

[Hardy]

Not really, Seanie. The congress vote gave the decision to Central Council, with no proviso about which games could/couldn't be played.  Central Council, as I remember, did the deal with the FAI and the IRFU for 2007 on the basis of competitive fixtures only. As the body charged with administering the use of Croke Park for soccer/rugby while Lansdowne Road is closed, they're entitled to change that stipulation that they introduced themselves.

I understand your position on the issue, but what's wrong with an extra few million? What incremental damage can it do, on top of the untold damage () already done?

[magpie seanie]

You know what I meant Hardy. There was supposed to be no friendlies. It was only supposed to be a neighbourly gesture while their own ground was out of use. This has not proved to be the case. I know you were of the opposite opinion to myself and I respect that totally. I respect the decision made by Congress as a whole. I just didn't think this was part of it and I dare say I wasn't alone in that thought.

I really don't want to open up the can of worms again. I just think its worth highlighting.

I understand your position on the issue, but what's wrong with an extra few million?

Depends who's getting it.

[Hardy]

I'm not going there either Seanie - there would never be agreement.