GAA clubs threaten judicial review on Tallaght stadium

[Macy]

Don't agree with boycotts either. I'm not missing a Munster final becasue of some langers in Dublin GAA.
Central Council are supporting this - it's not just 6 clubs in Dublin, or the Dublin County Board - it's the whole GAA.

[Mr A]

This is from today's Irish Times- the clubs involved are now officially backed by central counsil. Frankly, this whole thing is disgusting in the extreme, hopefully O'Donoghue stands by his words so far and faces down this pathetic crap.


Croke Park sides with local clubs
Ian O'Riordan

The Tallaght stadium in December 2004
Copyright: SportsFile

GAA / Row over Tallaght stadium:The ongoing row over the use of the Tallaght stadium site worsened yesterday when the GAA formally backed the six Dublin clubs that are determined to prevent it from being completed as a soccer-only arena.

In clear opposition to the stance held by the Government, the GAA are seeking a meeting with the Minister for Sport, John O'Donoghue, to resolve what they say is causing "considerable concern" to the association.

The GAA's statement on the issue was brief, but their backing of the six Dublin clubs is significant. On Tuesday, the Minister was sharply critical of the clubs and their effort to see the stadium currently earmarked as the new home for Shamrock Rovers football club also being used for GAA matches. In digging in their heels, the GAA are risking an uneasy stand-off with the Government.

"Croke Park has stated that issues regarding the stadium in Tallaght are causing considerable concern to the association, particularly in Dublin," read the GAA statement. "It is confirmed that an early meeting between senior representatives of the association and the Minister for Sport in the matter is being sought."

Croke Park officials declined to comment further, except to say the meeting with O'Donoghue's department would be sought as a matter of some urgency.

It remains to be seen if the senior GAA representatives will include GAA president Seán Kelly, whose term as president concludes in three weeks' time, or if incoming president Nickey Brennan will address the matter.
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A spokesperson for the Department of Sport later said the Minister had no problem meeting the GAA on the issue, and would be "only too pleased to clarify his position".

It was agreed the meeting would be arranged at the earliest time convenient to both parties.

Right now it's hard to see how O'Donoghue's position can be softened. Speaking on Tuesday, he said, "We made an agreement in relation to the matter and when we make one of those we abide by it. We are not in a position to change things now and, frankly, I am disappointed by the attitude of some of the (GAA) officials out there."

He added: "I come from a GAA county and I'd consider myself a GAA man. But I'm a fair man too so I don't see any way that we'll be changing the plan for the stadium development."

Significantly, the Minister also said, "I'm not so sure that their (the clubs') views are shared whether at county board level or within the upper echelons of Croke Park."

It is now clear they are shared.

The row goes back to late last year when South County Dublin councillors briefly opened up the possibility that the ground would be a €20-million multi-sport arena, containing a pitch big enough for Gaelic games.

But on February 13th they voted 22-4 in favour of completing the stadium as a soccer-only ground, rejecting appeals by the GAA clubs in the area to extend the playing surface and increase the size of the dressingrooms to cater for Gaelic games.

Before that vote, however, O'Donoghue had made it clear that Government funding for the completion of the project would be withdrawn if councillors decided to proceed with anything other than a soccer stadium, as it would also break what he saw as a binding agreement with the FAI and Rovers.

"We (the Government) invested €110 million in Croke Park and they (the GAA) deserved it," said O'Donoghue. "We have overseen a situation whereby 34 per cent of the funding allocated under the sports capital programme goes to them and they deserve it.

"We have told them that we will help them with the 26 acres of land they want to develop at Rathcoole (owned by the Dublin County Board), on the same side of the city, and they deserve that too.

"But when the Tallaght proposal initially came before me it was as a home for Shamrock Rovers and I still believe that there is a need for two 10,000-capacity soccer stadiums in Dublin and that Tallaght is one of them."

Initially, six local GAA clubs presented their combined opposition to the soccer-only concept - St Jude's, Thomas Davis, Faughs, St Anne's, St Mark's and Croí Ró Naofa. At a county board meeting last week they got the support of all 96 Dublin clubs and the Dublin county executive in their quest to open the Tallaght stadium to the GAA.

Earlier this week the six clubs' spokesman, David Kennedy of Thomas Davis, took the issue to Croke Park, which resulted in the GAA's statement.

In reiterating the stance of the clubs, Kennedy said yesterday the issue still had the potential to end up in the civil courts.

"We have no negative sentiments whatsoever toward Shamrock Rovers," he explained, "and definitely welcome them to the Tallaght area. And we've always pointed out that they need to have priority in fixtures at the stadium.

"So it's only shared use we're looking for. We need a Parnell Park-like facility on the south side of the city. But from a funding perspective, this Government stance is a major departure on the funding mechanisms for stadiums.

"Of course we'd like this situation to be resolved through consensus, but we are also addressing the legal issue. We'd prefer not to go down that route but right now it's actively under consideration."

The GAA clubs have until April 12th to initiate a judicial review but are known to have sought legal advice. Rovers officials obviously fear the clubs' opposition could destroy their hopes of playing in Tallaght in the near future.

[drummerboy]

Sinister! to say the least.

[wws]

:eek:

Can we have the old wws back please?

Stop press - I've just noticed the puerile, "...and we're in the Premier", my dad's bigger than your dad, post. Normal service is resumed.

KOH


for puerile read "fact" - of which i only deal in. Facts!

the best bit is we're the best team in the country at the moment - redefining the beautiful game, us and linfield - a class apart from shels cork and the rest

theres just no getting used to the proper order with some people

[WeAreRovers]

for puerile read "fact" - of which i only deal in. Facts!

the best bit is we're the best team in the country at the moment - redefining the beautiful game, us and linfield - a class apart from shels cork and the rest

theres just no getting used to the proper order with some people

That's more like it. :D

KOH

[dapman1]

This an en email sent to me by a GAA Head at work. Basically its propaganda from one of their message boards, along with responses:

Croke Park's goodwill gesture counts for zero in some quarters
Friday March 31st 2006

It didnt take long to refer back to Croke Park as soon as something dosnt go the GAA's way
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Gaelic Games

WHAT was a local issue and then became a Dublin issue is now developing into a national sporting issue of core fundamental importance.

Or just another way to block the arrival of Shamrock Rovers into Tallaght.

On Wednesday, as the FAI pored over the plans of their new headquarters at Abbotstown - a development that will earn them a cool €4m through the sale of their current Merrion Square property, a bullish Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue cuffed a few southside GAA clubs on the ear and sent them on their way.

What has that got to do with Tallaght? The money raised from the sale of Merrion Square is already earmarked for Lansdowne Road.

They have no claims to the stadium in Tallaght which is to be funded almost entirely by the exchequer so forget about it, he told them.

The tone of the Minister's comments on the issue has raised the ire of the alliance of clubs in the Templeogue-Tallaght area to a higher degree.

Typical of this Governments arrogance then.

But it has attracted a much wider audience of bewildered GAA members stunned at such a level of intransigence.

Finance

Suffice to say that if those comments were made in the last week of March 2005 and not the last week of March 2006 the debate over Rule 42 and the subsequent vote would have charted a much different course.

But the I's and the T's have been dotted and crossed on Croke Park for 2007 and a deal is a deal regardless of the pageantry being acted out over the precise wording and meaning of the motion passed at Congress last April and the subsequent rule change drawn up.

Internal GAA stuff here. Nothing to do with the rest of the world.

The moderate GAA person understands this and has no issue with it.

The vast majority of GAA members wanted Croke Park opened up to international soccer and rugby for reasons of goodwill. Finance only conveniently embellished the argument.

Finance should be stripped away from the argument regarding Tallaght too. In defence of his position that "when we make agreements we stick to them" (has he conveniently forgotten the aborted Stadium Ireland project?) the Minister, in best Cabinet tradition, trotted out the usual figures about capital investment.

But there is a core fundamental issue here that far outstrips financial spin.

The movement of goodwill that saw the goalposts shift on the use Croke Park last April has not been reciprocated and the GAA are now being squeezed out of two convenient southside stadiums.

I agree this shouldnt be happening. But seeing as the GAA will be shutting its doors to all things foreign after Lansdowne road is built (Except for Aussie Rules, American Football and Neil Diamond) and that they will have the benefit of having Croke Park with all its government funding back to themselves afterwards. This should sweeten that bitter pill somewhat.

The dimensions for the pitch in Lansdowne Road will not now facilitate GAA matches despite the assurances given when the plans were launched (and when no decision had been taken on Croke Park).

Forget about the money. Where is the quid pro quo for the gesture of goodwill that saw the GAA facilitate the two flagship international vehicles last April? Not in Lansdowne Road. Not in Tallaght either, it seems.

I agree. Lets open up all of the stadiums that received substantial finacial funding from the government.

The GAA is sitting at the half-way point but no one has come to meet them. The argument about money doesn't stand up and is not an issue here. Sure there was €110m for Croke Park which is €80m less than the contribution for a stadium that will hold some 30,000 less on completion.

and the point here is????

The strategic location of the Tallaght Stadium makes it ideal for southside Dublin clubs to play key championships matches before decent crowds without having the gridlock of the city or the M50 to negotiate to make Parnell Park. It made sense for clubs in the area to show interest. Even the Dublin team - or a future South Dublin if it ever emerged - could be accommodated there on occasion and being a municipally owned and funded venue they have every right to lay a small claim to use the facility when available.

So everybody else is a fault for the short sightedness of the Dublin Boards decision making process when it came to choosing Parnell Park as its HQ. Teams from other counties regulary make the trek to their main county ground for games, and they dont have the Dart to help.

There isn't sufficient seating accommodation for any championship matches in south Dublin as it stands and property prices won't allow it in future.

As above. But are they seriously saying that there are no GAA gounds n the southside which do not have room surrounding them for development. At Station road in Newbridge we have aour main stand/ facilities on one side and a narrow road on the other. By using our brains we have managed to

We wonder what the Tánaiste Mary Harney makes of this. She is, after all, of the opinion that all GAA grounds that have received funding from the exchequer should be open to all sports.

The reverse is not the case here apparently, Mary. In the current climate of ecumenism it's an ideal way for the Government to show real appreciation for the gesture of Croke Park without throwing wads of cash about and bragging about it. Now that chance is slipping through the Minister's intransigence. Since the decision was taken to open Croke Park, the GAA has been squeezed out of two southside stadia, one of which is municipally owned.

I agree the Government should stick by their guns and insist that those grounds that receive a substantial amount of government funding should be open to all. I dont have a problem with the GAA playing at Shamrock Rovers new ground as the increased revenue would only be for the betterment of the stadium, provided that Shamrock Rovers games get precedence. And if it means that more kids are attractedto any kind of sport because they get to see it in a decent venue,ten that can only be good.

I for one would love to see Kildare County soccer team running out at the new stadium on the outskirts of Newbridge that is being handed to Kildare GAA by our beloved county council. But I cant see that happening without us having to comply with the decision of something called "congress" ( Note: not the elected council that will be providing the ground) and having to listen to some biggot from Cork intoning 1916 and all that, as if they had the monopoly on all things Irish. I am fairly sure that Munster would love to playing Perpingnan at the revamped Limerick GAA grounds tommorrow, rather then having to travel to Dublin again to play in a ground with a decent capacity, dont you?



Good luck to Shamrock Rovers and every other soccer club that wants to sell up their grounds, make a tidy profit, excuse their members from fundraising and move to a turn-key premises largely provided for by the exchequer. That's not the core of this argument.

This line is a good example of changing history to suit the arguments of today. The author undoubtably knows that Shamrock Rovers old ground at Milltown was sold from under them, and had nothing to do with the members. Those same members who put substantial funds from their own pockets into keeping an institution going that will one day become the pride of Tallaght

Bullish

And it won't be the argument of that moderate belt of GAA membership that moved the mountains separating Croke Park from the rest of sporting Ireland last April when the debate over the future use of the stadium post 2007 surfaces again.

It's easy for Minister O'Donoghue to be bullish now that the horse has bolted.

As regards to anything that John O'Donoghue might say,i would disregard it. This is the guy who knocked a granny off her bike during the week (Wednesday). He broke her leg in two places, and then promised to have her looked after. Where is she today? Still on a trolly in Beaumont without a word from our caring Minister for Good Times.

This is one Tallaght Strategy that's difficult to comprehend

[Dodge]

Best of luck to the GAA. I hope the SDCC and Dept/ of Sport see sense and give Tallaght to all sports

[WeAreRovers]

This an en email sent to me by a GAA Head at work. Basically its propaganda from one of their message boards, along with responses:



That piece of self-serving drivel is from this morning's Indo. Your mate must have forgotten to attach this as well from the same page -

KOH

Association's stance shows ban mentality is thriving in south Dublin

Indo - 31.03.06

-----

Begrudgery. Small-mindedness. The 'Ban' mentality still lives.

That's my assessment of the motivation behind the obstructionist tactics of the six south Dublin GAA clubs who don't want Shamrock Rovers and soccer to have sole possession of Tallaght Stadium.

Possibly there's fear, too. Fear that in some way if Rovers get a base in that part of Dublin it will somehow sway the youth to take up soccer instead of GAA.

What is certain is that the small number of officials behind this campaign to pressurise local politicians and the Minister for Sport, are working themselves up into a right lather.

Their self-righteousness grows week by week, and they now appear to believe that they have an inalienable RIGHT to have GAA in the stadium as well as soccer. Wrong, lads. Very wrong. And in the interests of sport and to avoid embarrassing yourselves any further, I suggest you back off right now.

Let me state clearly that as a former GAA Correspondent of the Sunday Independent, and as someone who has also regularly covered and commented on soccer for 34 years, I have a good insight into both organisations.

First, hats off unequivocally to the GAA for all they have done for the country.

Back in the early part of the 20th Century, the GAA bought the field at Jones Road and through the decades have continued to build Croke Park up to the present day where it is one of the best stadia in Europe.

Around the country, in parishes and counties, similar great work has been carried out due to the enterprise, the courage and the vision of club and county officials, all the more impressive because much of it happened when Ireland was broke.

League of Ireland soccer as a whole and the FAI did not do justice to the amount of money that floated into the game when crowds were huge in the Forties, Fifties and Sixties - but Rovers did.

They brought international renown to Ireland by their exploits against the Busby Babes of Manchester United in the fifties and other top European sides including Bayern Munich.

Shamefully sold out for property development in the mid-Eighties, Rovers have struggled without a home for 20 years.

Thomas Davis, St Judes, St Anne's, Croí Ró Naofa, St Mark's and Faughs have run their clubs up to now without Tallaght stadium.

They have clubhouses and facilities for their members, so why do they need to covet their neighbour's home?

Not for any good reason that I can see, however much they try to cloak their motives and poor sportsmanship in high-sounding idealism.

It doesn't make sense, financial or otherwise, to pay more money and waste more time extending the pitch to accommodate these clubs because of anti-soccer bias.

The idea that these officials might commit club funds for a costly legal action in this situation is ludicrous and deserves harsh criticism at their AGMs if they go to court.

I hope that Minister John O'Donoghue holds the line and sends these guys packing. They'd be better off attending to their own individual clubs' business instead of butting into Rovers' affairs.

They should take note of the Minister's comments that the GAA got E110 million for Croke Park, that 34 per cent of sports capital funding in the last few years had gone to Gaelic games, and that the Government would assist the GAA with building a ground on 26 acres in Rathcoole.

The GAA as a whole deserves all that, and more, and good luck to them. Why can't they extend the same charitable and open-minded outlook to Shamrock Rovers?

The Hoops are not run for shareholders' profit by fat cats such as the Glazer family that own Manchester United.

This club was saved from extinction by genuine ordinary fans who keep it alive by standing orders from their own bank accounts.

They just want to see their team continue in the Eircom League and hopefully prosper.

To do that, they need a home. Tallaght Stadium should be that home for their use, and if another Eircom League club comes in, that is utilising resources in a very practical manner.

Two's company, three - if the six GAA clubs bully their way in - is definitely a crowd and would make the Stadium unworkable.

Stand fast, John O'Donoghue and South Dublin County Council!

[Buller]

Best of luck to the GAA. I hope the SDCC and Dept/ of Sport see sense and give Tallaght to all sports
Quote of the year there, somebody give this guy a medal!:cool:
All sports? AKA: gaah... why say all sports then?
Best of luck to the GAA on trying to fuk up football in tallaght then, god i love those guys! after all, they do share all of their stadiums with football...

[DvB]

Quote of the year there, somebody give this guy a medal!:cool:
All sports? AKA: gaah... why say all sports then?
Best of luck to the GAA on trying to fuk up football in tallaght then, god i love those guys...

In fairness to Dodge he's looking out for No.1, in his case, Pats!
If they up sticks & relocate to tallaght they're basically f**ked! Even allowing for the mother of all disasters & rovers being in the first division & pats being in the Premi-eire Liga they could struggle big time allowing for the ground work rovers have put into developing tallaght as a base! So i can understand his point of view as blinkered as it is! :)

Koh

[hoops1]

Written By Colm Keys who im sure will be
availing of the finest corporate hospitality whenever
in Croke Park
Its the bit where he says
"Good luck to Shamrock Rovers and every other
socer club that wants to sell up there groundsmake tidy profit excuse their
members from fundraising and move to a turn key premises largely provided for by the exchequer"
He is obviously deliberately misleading the public or is living in cloud
cookoo land or in pure ignorance if he thinks that is Rovers ploy.
There is so much wrong with that statement it would take a month to write it all

He claims the stadium is almost entirely funded by the exchequer
Not mentioning the 4 million put into by Rovers and the FAI

He states the good will of the GAA in letting Soccer and Rugby into Croke
Park not mentioning the huge sums of money they will make from this

This is all about greed
Look at the facilties of the six clubs on the internet!
Dont tell me they have a need for this stadium

[Dodge]

Not exactly DvB, I'm fairly sure we'd be number one there but thats not really the point.

My preferred option is no stadium in Tallaght at all. Let Rovers rent (a government funded) Richmond Park from Pats and let the GAA die...

I'll settle for us is Richmond and to hell with the rest of you

[Billy Lord]

Dodge: your belligerence is admirable. Are you sure you're not a closet Hoop?

[Dodge]

Thats the most hurtful thing anyone has ever said to me. Honestly, a little bit of me just died.

[WeAreRovers]

Thats the most hurtful thing anyone has ever said to me. Honestly, a little bit of me just died.

It's never bothered your mate with the drum. ;)

KOH

[John83]

My sarcasm meter hasn't registered anything - it must be another case of a Slig missing the point/joke...;)
I think you need a new sarcasm meter.

[Dodge]

It's never bothered your mate with the drum. ;)

KOH
That because he's a Rovers' cnut

[dfx-]

Naah, Rogue Trader's next post meant it went off the scale that time, just not for the first post, so it's working alright..

+ new sarcasm meters are difficult to find - I've asked around before, it's much cheaper to react in an over-the-top, abhorrently incorrect, judgemental way instead.

[wws]

TRY THE "iRELAND" THREADS MATE! :D

[gspain]

Guys remember this debate is not about opening up Tallaght. this is about DELAYING Tallaght for years.

If Tallaght goes ahead as planned I expect a rugby match or two may well be played there in the future but I'll guarantee the bigots will not play a single game there eventhough many of their games can be played on a football sized pitch.

[hoops1]

and then the GAA decides seen as though there is no ground there
We will buy it new ground, No Competition
RIP Rovers

[Dodge]

Exactly.

If the GAA are successful with their judicial review then the government will simply withdraw funding and no stadium will be built.
Fine with me.

[Comic Book Guy]

Have to say this is a despicable move by the GAA clubs involved, I can't see the die hard (sorry, more fanatical) hoops fans taking this lying down, at least I hope they won't.
I wonder if there are any EL fans in the particular area who have kids that play underage GAA for the clubs in question? If they were to, let's say, stop sending their kids along as a protest I'm sure these clubs wouldn't be long changing their tune.
I know that last paragraph may seem fanciful or absurd but the bottom line to Rovers support is not to take this lying down. You guys have suffered enough without having your plans scuppered by some petty bogball o-fee-shuls.

[CollegeTillIDie]

[/B What we're looking for is a mirror image to Parnell Park on the southside," spokesman for the six Tallaght clubs David Kennedy said today. "There is no stadium facility on Dublin's southside to promote Gaelic Games."
From a previous post...../B]


Oh boo fooking hoo. Soccer has not got any worthwhile facilities in this country. We do not even have a national stadium for our international team to play home matches in. We are , thanks to the good offices of the IRFU, permitted to use their facilities.

I hope that if you are forced to build your Southside Parnell Park on your 28 GAH acres in RATHCOOLE that the GAA does the decent thing and split Dublin in two for GAA purposes. SO that there are two Dublins and that miserable GAH heads like David what's his face will only see All-Ireland trophies in the Croke Park Museum !

[CollegeTillIDie]

Have to say this is a despicable move by the GAA clubs involved, I can't see the die hard (sorry, more fanatical) hoops fans taking this lying down, at least I hope they won't.
I wonder if there are any EL fans in the particular area who have kids that play underage GAA for the clubs in question? If they were to, let's say, stop sending their kids along as a protest I'm sure these clubs wouldn't be long changing their tune....... You guys have suffered enough without having your plans scuppered by some petty bogball o-fee-shuls.
Great suggestion... but are we as a nation supplied with enough backbone to do it?

[Comic Book Guy]

Great suggestion... but are we as a nation supplied with enough backbone to do it?

I'm afraid we don't, without wanting to be too deep, the saga of the Rossport 5 proved that.

[TonyD]

exactly. Would anyone challenge a local authority for building a swimming pool because it didn't incorporate a tennis court?

Sonofstan, did you notice that Kieran Cunningham thieved your swimming pool/tennis court analogy in The Star the other day ? I'd sue if I were you.

[sonofstan]

No, but it strikes me that foot.ie should find some way of levying the media annually for stories/ gossip/ pithy analogies that lazy journos pick up here

[pete]

Why don't the GAA complain when the government builds greyhound tracks around the country as these are 100% funded by the state? Should really be a GAA pitch in the middle of the tracks...

:rolleyes:

[manic da hoop]

Why don't the GAA complain when the government builds greyhound tracks around the country as these are 100% funded by the state? Should really be a GAA pitch in the middle of the tracks...

:rolleyes:

Because greyhound racing does not pose a direct threat to them. The GAA has been loosing the battle for players and supporters on the southside of Dublin for years. Tallaght, as yet, remains an untapped source with massive potential for both football (soccer) and GAA. Whoever gets in there first wins.