I think you're taking a one eyed view here. The GAA has been less than friendly towards foreign sports and the unionist tradition on this island.
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A near-empty Croke Park for Ireland soccer matches - not even Shane Warne could spin that into an embarassment for the GAA. :eek:
If anything it would secure the FAI's future in Croke Park as the GAA would never want them to leave! The biggest fear of those who voted against opening up the stadium is that 75,000+ crowds for soccer and rugby will attract attract a huge new audience for those sports (and away from GAA apparently because the youth of Éire can only give their 'Hearts and Minds' to one 'code'). Boycotting plays right into the hands of these people.
There's a trend emerging. The second (albeit partly related) thread to have Biggotry mentioned a few times. Mere cooincidence I'm sure - Danger Here!!!
To suggest someone is less patriotic because they don't like Galeic Games is shocking.
The renting out of Croker had nothing to do with Patriotism.
It made sound business sense and a distant second was the potential positive PR it would also generate.
I was annoyed as cosmo was disregarding an organisation whose sole purpose in its creation, was to preserve irish culture, in an era when
another culture and language was forced upon us.
At the end of the day its the FAIs fault that they enevitably had to grovel to the GAA for the use of Croke Park. Why shouldnt the GAA charge a premium price for its use..The FAI stinks of incompetency...Your forgetting that the FAI dont give a crap about the fans, that was evident when they sold the rights to the home matches to sky, less than 8 weeks after 1000s of Irish Fans paid top dollar to follow ireland in Japan and Korea
Ha - the FAI spin something right or win a PR battle - not in my lifetime.
Back to the topic of a Plan B
As I said before I believe Croke Park will be available as long as the redevelopment of Lansdowne is going to schedule, or at least not indefinitely stalled.
If it is stalled indefinitely then a viable alternative will have to be produced by the Gov, IRFU and FAI to satisfy the GAA that they will not become full time lodgers at Croke Park, and I don’t think the IRFU and FAI want to become permanent lodgers in Croke Park.
However I don’t think there is a short term problem with the accommodation of the FAI at Croke Park.
The 2007 schedule is set, the 2008 one will probably be agreed in the next 6 months and seeing as the first half of 2008 will be all friendlies then it may not be a big problem. By that time progress on Lansdowne should be well advanced
As stated before if the FAI are not happy with Croke Park they will go to Britain and loose both the PR battle and many fans on the way.
no need for name calling.
the thread is asking if their is a plan b in the result of the relationship between the FAI and GAA deteriorating (sp?) further and the FAI not been given the option of CP for home games.
i personally don't see why SRFC and their situtation should be used by either side in this situation - it is a totally different argument.
my own view is that the FAI have no divine right to use CP and similarly the GAA have no divine right for the Tallagh stadium. the fact that the FAI are allowed to use CP is stand alone and independent of the Tallaght stadium - end of story.
there are many people throughout this island who actively participate in and support both codes and i include myself in this.
the GAA have both their good and bad points but the majority of the ills come from the administrative powers and not supporters and players. the exact same can be said of the FAI. so to say that all and sundry involved in the GAA are bigoted would mean the all involved in soccer are incompetent morons. neither, thankfully, is true.
excellent point
There is a huge difference between bigotry and incompetence. I don't think anybody is claiming everybody in the GAA is a bigot. That isn't true and does a great disservice to the likes of Sean Kelly, Tommy Kenoy et al who faced down the bigots for the good of the GAA they clearly love. However there is clearly still a huge issue with bigotry among a minority of GAA people. Many of these are/were in very prominent and public positions.
Some elements in the GAA are clearly trying to engineer a row with the FAI.
They still see the garrison/partitionist/foreign/protestant game as being the enemy. No FAI official had made a single comment on Croke Park when the media stories started to circulate about the FAI "acting like they owned the place" The only evidence belatedly put forward was a photo facilitated by the GAA of John Toshack and Bobby Robson in Croke Park. If the GAA didn't facilitate it then maybe Bobby might save us all €50 in March and tell us how he broke in. Incidently a similiar photo was taken with Eddie O'Sullivan.
By and large it is not a problem with GAA players. I can think of only one incident where a player from the Republic has made some public comments that could be viewed as bigoted.