Rovers and the GAA

[TommyT]

Kempes posted this on the Ultras website, when he questioned Maguire, the chairman replied 'well you've obviously seen the heads of agreement'

Yesterday I got to read the actual GAA proposal ... it was about 8 pages long and shocking stuff to read !!!

Here's the basic details as I remember them ....
They want to change to design of the stadium to suit a much larger GAA pitch ...!
They want a second GAA pitch on site!
They want to increase the capacity of the ground to between 15000 - 20000.

Rovers get the use the ground on 30 Sundays a year and they expect full use of the facilities on ALL other days!! (eh, hello?)

A development company TSL (Tallaght Stadium Ltd) would be set up. Rovers would then sign the site over to this company,
and have 50-50 share, but from then on the control would be dependent on future monies put into development by either side.
So if the GAA were willing to put 2 million in 2 years time, then if Rovers couldnt match that, then our share in the whole setup would be diluted and they could easily shaft us out onto the street.

Assuming they're not trying to shaft us (not an assumption I'd make) here's my response to the rest.

1 The Ground and TSL

The GAA want to give us the 4 million to move in and thus gain a 50% stake in Tallaght Stadium Ltd, with the possibility that their stake may increase in relaition to 'respective expenditure' on the site, this ignores the fact we bring a 250 lease on the property to the table worth probably 3-4 million in itself. The GAA may argue that they'll be swapping land with the council and thus contributing that way but that land will be for a GAA training pitch so it shouldn't count. Furthermore it needs to be made clear that the GAAs expenditure does not include what they spend on on ball alleys, indoor rounders pitches or any other such rubbish.

2 Access

Why would a 50% owner only have access to the stadium on 8% of the days of the year, without compensation ?

3 TSL and Commercial Revenue

The deal was 50% to the host of event, 50% to TSL. This is double edged and not too good either way. If the GAA build up the ground to a 15-20,000 seater stadium and host major games there the revenue generated could be quite significant, however this would not be so in what was basically a Southside Parnell Park. However in the first case our share of TSL would have been reduced to 25% max, in which case we'd be handing over 37.5% of our commercial earnings for 12.5% of theirs.

No thanks lads.

[Schumi]

Rovers would do well to steer well clear of the GAA, they're just lining themselves up to be screwed.

[UCD_4_Life]

Originally posted by Schumi
Rovers would do well to steer well clear of the GAA, they're just lining themselves up to be screwed.

They should do it then.

[CollegeTillIDie]

The last time Rovers and a GAA club tried to co-operate back in the RDS days was to have a GAA and Soccer game Double header at the pitch. The idea was to host a Dublin Football team's National Leasgue game as a curtain raiser and a Shamrock Rovers Eircom League game as the second or headline game.

The idea was floated by the GAA Club based in Ringsend where Rovers were based in 1901 when they were founded. It was a marvellous example of sporting ecumenism, which both clubs thought should have no problem with given the pitch was owned not by the GAA or Rovers but by the Royal Dublin Society.
Croke Park blew the idea completely out of the water.

Given that the State's contribution to the project arrived late maybe Rovers should bide their time and wait for another grant or apply to be tenants in the Bertie Bowl. After all when our EL Premier Champions start playing sat the group stages of the Champions League all teams in that bracket will be playing their games at home in the National Stadium wherever that maybe.

[TommyT]

Originally posted by UCD_4_Life
They should do it then.

Thanks for that intellectual contribution. I'm always amused when UCD fans jump on the 'Rovers are scum' bandwagon. After all many of you are more likely to know fans of Rovers rather than fans of any other club, have family members who follow/ed the Hoops and and some of you would probably have ended up supporting us if we hadn't left the RDS.