Presidents push to secure NY stadium

GAA presidents, past, present and future will enter a final round of talks in New York today in a bid to finally secure a self-owned stadium project for the local board.

The Randall's Island project for a 10,000-seater GAA stadium, playing fields, cultural centre and banqueting facilities on a 25-acre site in the heart of New York City has failed to get off the ground following its launch at the end of 2003. Originally planned to open by the end of this year, the scheme is still on the drawing board, despite the New York GAA being donated the site next to Upper Manhattan by the City of New York.

Investors have been slow to get on board with a $2 million (€1.6 million) grant from Croke Park the only significant contribution to date, and GAA president Sean Kelly, past president Peter Quinn and president-elect Nicky Brennan all flew into the Big Apple on Saturday to meet the Randall's Island Gaelic Sports (RIGS) group - a separate entity from the New York GAA, which is overseeing the project - to break the impasse.