Croke Park to see less championship activity

More All-Ireland championship games are to be played away from Croke Park next season due to a poor financial return from the 2005 qualifiers.

The latest meeting of the GAA's Central Council revealed some stark figures for the Association to mull over with the hurling qualifiers operating at a loss this year. It would have been a similar scenario for the football championship but for the bounty of Dublin and Tyrone's two 80,000-plus quarter-final ties.

In an attempt to redress the balance for 2006, the GAA are to shift some championship fixtures away from their HQ stadium and around the country.

Croke Park was used 21 times in the All-Ireland senior football championship proper for 2005, while the hurling equivalent used the Jones' Road venue 11 times. The loss-making second and third tier competitions - the Tommy Murphy football competition and Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard hurling cups - also used Croke Park for finals but each proved to be a "financial drain".

The All-Ireland hurling qualifiers were particularly disappointing this summer given the fact that they took in gross receipts of €1.6m for the GAA in 2004. This year's figure was only €416,000.

Meanwhile, the GAA has agreed that the following revenue is to be allocated to the counties and Provincial Councils from the €3m-plus generated from the 2005 championships:

- Each county, including overseas duo London and New York, that participated in the Bank of Ireland football championship will receive €40,000 - a total of €1.4m

- Each Provincial Council will receive €125,000 – a total of €500,000

- Each county that participated in the Guinness hurling championship will receive €38,000 – a total of €456,000

- The ten counties that participated in the Christy Ring Cup will receive €25,000 each – a total of €250,000

- The twelve counties that participated in the Nicky Rackard Cup will share €130,000

- The Insurance fund is being supplemented by an injection of €350,000 from the championship revenue

- Dublin and Tyrone will receive a special payment of €20,000 each because of their drawn quarter-final and Down will receive a payment of €10,000 as a gesture because of the timing error in the Christy Ring Cup final

It was also intimated that no action will be taken against counties that failed to fulfil fixtures in the new competitions.