No Football or Rugby at Croke Park

[pete]

IMO the GAA have lost their chance. If i'd "opened" Croke Park to foreign sports "who are a domestic threat" before the FAI/IRFU/Govt got their act together for the redeveloped Lansdowne they'd have a lot of control over rugby & football here + would have their cut from at least 10 internationals a season.

Just opening the ground while lansdowne redeveloped actually helps the FAI/IRFU more.

[Eire06]

Apparantly one of the biggest problems for people against opening Croker is that the don't want God save the Queen played there and the thought of a union Jack flying over croker is just wrong....

But would it not have been there at the special Olympics, was the anthem played there, if an english participant won it prob was... Anyone know??

[tiktok]

But would it not have been there at the special Olympics, was the anthem played there, if an english participant won it prob was... Anyone know??

Yeah, there definitely would have been, which is why I don't really get the argument. Sure if we ever play another Irish Rugby International up North it'll be God Save the Queen and Ireland's call played.

[drummerboy]

The motion will need a two-thirds majority to be passed. This is highly unlikely. Perhaps if it was a simple majority it would be passed but it is not. So it will be put to bed for another year.

[boc123]

Will a lot of people on this forum refuse to go to the matches in Croke Park if it is opened up to soccer due to the fact that a lot of people think the GAA is so backward/evil etc..????? or will principals go out the window at that stage???



BTW Conor74, i'd agree with all the points made in your last post.

[dublinred]

Relax, Croke park will be opened if the price is right the govt won't let home internationals go out of Ireland and will cut a deal with the GAA before the big vote.

[Eire06]

Yeah, there definitely would have been, which is why I don't really get the argument. Sure if we ever play another Irish Rugby International up North it'll be God Save the Queen and Ireland's call played.

Ya but thats not in Croke park...

I know a lot of people that would take great offence in God save the queen being played there and theyre reason is that they are still bitter about Bloody Sunday and it would be disrespectful the memory of the people who were killed by the black and tans

[tiktok]

I know a lot of people that would take great offence in God save the queen being played there and theyre reason is that they are still bitter about Bloody Sunday and it would be disrespectful the memory of the people who were killed by the black and tans

...and I'm sure there are English people who had friends and relatives killed by the IRA who don't like hearing ambhran na bhfiann played at Twickenham, but like those in the GAA they'll have to put that to one side.

[Eire06]

...and I'm sure there are English people who had friends and relatives killed by the IRA who don't like hearing ambhran na bhfiann played at Twickenham, but like those in the GAA they'll have to put that to one side.

Yes but they were murdered in Croke Park...

Don't get me wrong I think the GAA have no right to say no to opening to the soccer and rugby teams because they seem to pick and choose as they please who can and can't play there which is unfair.. US, American Football, Special Olymipcs ect... ect...
If they just kept it to themselves then maybe they would have a right but thats another story...

I do think that we should stick to Lansdowne because were having a good run of things there at the moment and why change a good thing.. Its our home ground..

But if its a choice between Croker and England\Scotland, then they have to open it...

[Schumi]

will principals go out the window at that stage?

No need to resort to murder.

[tiktok]

Don't get me wrong I think the GAA have no right to say no to opening to the soccer and rugby teams ...

of course they have that right.
they have no responsibility to bail out the FAI and IRFU.

if they do open Croker they will be doing Irish soccer and Irish rugby a FAVOUR, people really need to get their heads around that.

[Eire06]

of course they have that right.
they have no responsibility to bail out the FAI and IRFU.

if they do open Croker they will be doing Irish soccer and Irish rugby a FAVOUR, people really need to get their heads around that.

With all the government funding they get I don't think they can in all fairness say no..

[tiktok]

With all the government funding they get I don't think they can in all fairness say no..

They get predominantly lottery money earmarked for sports, just like the FAI and IRFU (where's their responsibility with the money they get).

I've heard that as little as €19million of taxpayers money directly from Government coffers has gone into the association since they've been redeveloping Croker.

Don't forget either, that GAA supporters, fans and players are also tax-payers. I've no problem with our national games being given some of my paycheck, our culture is being cast aside too easily as it is, and the GAA do funnel the money they get down to grassroots very well.

The government (quiite rightly) put no conditions or provisions on the money they handed over, so the GAA are under no obligation.

If Ireland end up playing their games abroad, the GAA shouldn't be blamed, the FAI should.

[Eire06]

They get predominantly lottery money earmarked for sports, just like the FAI and IRFU (where's their responsibility with the money they get).

I've heard that as little as €19million of taxpayers money directly from Government coffers has gone into the association since they've been redeveloping Croker.
.

Don't really know exactly how much they get but was always under the impression it was more that FAI and IRFU so can't comment on it until i look into it further

Don't forget either, that GAA supporters, fans and players are also tax-payers. I've no problem with our national games being given some of my paycheck, our culture is being cast aside too easily as it is, and the GAA do funnel the money they get down to grassroots very well.

The government (quiite rightly) put no conditions or provisions on the money they handed over, so the GAA are under no obligation.
.

I know they are not under and obligation and at the start I was against anything being played there bar GAA, they worked hard to get there stadium and did a great job on it (it is under used though) but they have let American Football to be played there and any Concert that pays enough to be held there... In my opinion they cannot say you can't play here because I don't like you and oh I like you you can

If Ireland end up playing their games abroad, the GAA shouldn't be blamed, the FAI should.

I would never blame the GAA its the incompetant FAI... If the FAI had a few GAA men runnin the show then they would prob have a stadium just as good as croker by now...

[gspain]

I've heard that as little as €19million of taxpayers money directly from Government coffers has gone into the association since they've been redeveloping Croker.

The government (quiite rightly) put no conditions or provisions on the money they handed over, so the GAA are under no obligation.

If Ireland end up playing their games abroad, the GAA shouldn't be blamed, the FAI should.

They got €131 million of public money eg lottery money as well.

The GAA are under no obligation but they should have been - the IRFU and F.A.I. will share a stadium with the government. Lesson learned.

If our home football Internationals do get played abroad then the government should carry the can. They also should carry the can for the jobs and revenue lost. The GAA should pay for their bigots though. Maybe the only way they'll ever change is if the are denied funding.

[tiktok]

......people seem to go out of their way to absolve the FAI from primary reponsibility in their failure..........

Nail on the head.

I want us to play qualifiers at home, but the blame game completely bypassing the FAI is driving me mad

[Éanna]

Two more people I agree with. I just cannot understand the hysteria about the GAA, Bertie, GAA, FF, GAA - people seem to go out of their way to absolve the FAI from primary reponsibility in their failure, not just in recent years, but since the foundation of th State, to get a stadium together.

It's the FAI first and foremost who are to blame for the state of affairs.

The only thing you can complain about the GAA for is the hypocrisy of that organisation. FF/the Government/Bertie IMO are guilty of buying votes by giving that amount of money to the GAA because they are such a powerful lobby, and of treating irish football with contempt. But neither of those are the reasons why the FAI has no ground. The reason for that is because the FAI are clueless incompetent ****wits.

[lopez]

...people seem to go out of their way to absolve the FAI from primary reponsibility in their failure, not just in recent years, but since the foundation of th State, to get a stadium together. It's the FAI first and foremost who are to blame for the state of affairs.

How much money would the FAI be able to use on building a stadium if the wages of Roy Keane and co. had been poured into their coffers? And before you add that they play(ed) in another country, if the natural law had occured to top Gaelic players as happened to everyone else (including rugby players) in Ireland, then London, Lancs and Warickshire would have been the only counties fighting it out for all the all-Ireland titles since the war.

This is a p*ss poor excuse. The Grab All Association operate on a different playing field to the FAI. Aren't even hurleys and footballs exempt from VAT?

[Donal81]

No, it isn't a GAA stadium, it's the Irish people's stadium. We, Irish taxpayers funded it, so we should have a say about who uses it.

Sorry mate but you're quite wrong there. It is indeed a GAA stadium and has been a GAA stadium since 1913. They own it lock, stock and barrell. Just because the Government greatly contributed towards the funding of its redevelopment does not turn it into a national stadium. It's not the Irish people's stadium, it belongs to the GAA, get over it.

Incompetent O' Donoghue, was on TV3 News last night, saying that the decision to have a debate on Rule 42 was great for the "democracy" of the GAA. Sorry, but you don't put the words "GAA" and "democracy" in the same sentence. They don't know what it means! This Communist-run organisation showed their contempt for democracy last year, by dismissing all the proposed motions on Rule 42 on technicalities. They have resisted all attempts to change their precious rule in the past, no matter what that they stand to benefit from a change in their policy. It can only be made at their annual shindig every April, when it suits them, not the country. That ain't democracy. This issue doesn't need a debate at all, the stadium should be opened up immediately and unconditionally to other sports, in the national interest.

Too many people are here are just randomly throwing abuse at the GAA in general. It makes no sense whatsoever as this whole fuss is over 11 counties putting forward a motion to open the stadium to soccer and rugby. Also, they got a majority vote for opening the stadium last time around but they didn't get the two-thirds majority, which is fair enough, given the enormity of the issue at stake.

Calling the entire organisation bigots, rednecks, etc, will get us nowhere, especially when it's not true.

[Donal81]

How much money would the FAI be able to use on building a stadium if the wages of Roy Keane and co. had been poured into their coffers? And before you add that they play(ed) in another country, if the natural law had occured to top Gaelic players as happened to everyone else (including rugby players) in Ireland, then London, Lancs and Warickshire would have been the only counties fighting it out for all the all-Ireland titles since the war.

This is a p*ss poor excuse. The Grab All Association operate on a different playing field to the FAI. Aren't even hurleys and footballs exempt from VAT?

I don't see your point here. The FAI doesn't pay any player's wages, unlike the IRFU, which has a massive wage bill covering international and provincial players. The amount that international players receive for an appearance is minimal. While GAA's profile has strengthened in the past number of years, only an organisation staffed at the highest level by incompetent idiots could blow the amount of money that merchandising, advertising, etc, has brought in since Euro 88.

The GAA has had some extremely cute hoors over the years who secured a huge level of funding. The FAI has had a series of chancers who fancied themselves as Machiavellian and spent their time embroiled in power struggles etc while giving themselves personal loans. The GAA had and have Jack Boothman, Sean McCague and Sean Kelly. We've had Milo Corcoran, John Delaney, Bernard O'Byrne and Brendan Menton. They have a stadium, we don't. For me, that's the equation that makes sense.