Dublin will not have ‘first call’ on €8m centre, insists Duffy
Although Dublin see the five floodlit pitch facility becoming their new training home, Duffy said it will be made available to all counties to rent when the pitches are completed next year.
Approximately €2m of the total accrued from rugby and soccer games being played in Croke Park has been ringfenced for the Dublin County Board’s plan to develop a centre in Rathcoole in the south-west of the county.
However, Dublin will now negotiate a new agreement with the GAA about how best to utilise those funds as they intend making the most of the association’s presence on the NSC.
“The GAA will have first call on it nationally,” said Duffy. “Dublin won’t have the first call but I wouldn’t really see that ever being a problem because you have five pitches here.
“First call is national, but realistically Dublin will be here any time they want to because the facilities are there. Dublin won’t have first call but they’ll have use of it. That won’t cause any grief, everybody can be facilitated.”
One of the pitches will replicate the exact dimensions of Croke Park so as to provide for teams playing at GAA HQ. The building, which will accompany the pitches, is set to be completed in 2016.
“We want this to be used to the maximum,” explained Duffy. “We would see Dublin using it extensively, but it’s not only for Dublin. Dundalk is an hour from here and Gorey is from the south.
“Most of the population of the country is within an hour from here. We would envisage counties using it for blitzes, festivals, Fitzgibbons, Sigersons and for international teams too.”
At yesterday’s sod-turning ceremony in Dublin 15, GAA president Liam O’Neill said the likes of Kildare, Meath and Wicklow could easily utilise the pitches.
However, Dublin chairman Andy Kettle doesn’t expect there will be many takers among Dublin’s neighbouring counties.
“Our interest is huge because we don’t have a centre of excellence. Our county teams are training all over the place. This gives us an opportunity to centralise it. Obviously, geographically it suits us.
“If you look at the surrounding counties, Meath have theirs; Louth have Darver; Wicklow are in the process of finishing theirs; Kildare have Hawkfield.
“The requested usage from those counties may not be terribly high. I would certainly see requested usage from counties coming up to play matches in Croke Park at weekends.”
Kettle added: “There is, to my mind, a huge benefit of teams in both codes, hurling and football, training in the same location, whereby the minor manager, the U21 manager, the senior manager, start singing off the same hymn sheet and a style of play develops as guys come into minor level.”
O’Neill believes the venue will solve a lot of issues for the GAA such as providing an option in poor weather. “You could have games that are being shifted due to bad weather down the country. It could be shifted here. Primary school blitzes, underage blitzes for clubs, second level schools is a huge issue, getting pitches, third level, I think is going to be a huge one too and you can use this day and night now as well, so that’s very significant.”
The Croke Park pitch will also have a 450-capacity stand, which is part of the main building. Both camogie and ladies football teams will also be entitled to use the pitches.
Part of the agreement with the Government and Irish Sports Council is to make the fields available to other sports in the event of a festival. The same goes for the soccer pitches on the campus were the GAA to stage an occasion there. Meanwhile, O’Neill confirmed he is discussing with Duffy details of the hurling forum signalled earlier this month. Duffy said announcements regarding the GAA’s new media right deals from 2014 to 2016 should be made by the end of the month.
