Mulvihill: Bumper crowds the key to Croker finance

THE successful funding of the projected 98m debt on Croke Park by the GAA over the next decade will depend on major championship games continuing to attract big attendances, GAA chief Liam Mulvihill admitted yesterday.

Any appreciable drop could have serious consequences, the Director-General said, adding that the dependence on gate receipts 'holding up' represented the only weakness in their forward planning.

"The Central Council realises 80% of its income from gate receipts. And, if they were to fall by 25 or 30%, we'd be in serious trouble. That's the long and the short of it," he admitted.