Pressure mounts on GAA to make Croke Park available

Political Reporter

GAA president Sean McCague has rejected a request by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to allow Croke Park be used as a once-off concession, but a member of the GAA management committee, Noel Walsh, and former Kildare and Kerry football manager Mick O’Dwyer said the GAA should concede to the Taoiseach’s request.

Noel Walsh said: “I believe rule 42 should be amended in the interest of the Association for sound economic reasons. Croke Park is basically closed from September to March and the money that would be made from foreign games could go towards our fund for building up clubs and Gaelic games around the country.” He already proposed a motion at this year’s GAA Congress calling for their central council to be given the power to decide on lifting the ban.

Mr Walsh said he will get his club and county to back a similar motion for next year’s congress.

Mick O’Dwyer said he believed Croke Park should be opened help the joint Irish-Scottish bid for the European championships: “I believe the GAA should make a once-off concession and allow Croke Park to be used for foreign games to help host the European championships.”

GAA president Sean McCague could not be reached for a response last night.

Mr Ahern made his first appeal for the GAA to relax its century-old ban on soccer after the Cabinet decided no exchequer funding could be used to build the national stadium at Abbotstown.