Croke Park only venue to be considered for soccer and rugby, vows Kelly

SEAN KELLY accepts that GAA members who are favourable towards the opening of Croke Park for soccer and rugby need to be reassured that a change of policy would not be extended down the line to other grounds.

With Cavan the latest county to opt for the empowering of Central Council to sanction the use of the stadium, Mr Kelly said he welcomes the issue being debated at county conventions, but he feels discussions are taking place in a vacuum, where clubs cannot be given the definitive answers they are seeking.

His message is that a guarantee of only Croke Park being opened would need to be cast in stone.

"It's very healthy that the issue would be debated at county level, but one of the difficulties at the moment is that if somebody makes a point, either for or against, the information may not be available to answer or counteract that,'' he commented. "That can lead to an imbalance, particularly where people express fears about what might happen if Croke Park is opened and so forth.

"Those fears cannot be allayed by somebody attending the convention because they can't actually state categorically what would happen.

"Certainly, I think everyone will agree, we are talking about Croke Park and Croke Park alone. And if that can't be guaranteed, then we won't be talking about anything.''

Mr Kelly said he also appreciated that the membership was in the dark in relation to the financial benefits to the association from staging international fixtures.

It would not be just about the money from the rent of the stadium. Other factors, namely the value of premium seats, corporate boxes and ground advertising would all have to be quantified. After that, there would need to be a clear understanding how the money would filter down 'to the grassroots.'

Responding to a separate issue, the pressure that county board officials are coming under with an increasing number of all-ticket games, Mr Kelly said he appreciated that it was becoming a huge burden. Both the Kerry secretary and chairman alluded to it at Tuesday night's convention, while Kilkenny secretary Pat Dunphy believes Central Council should follow the lead of the Leinster Council and pay county officials a commission.

The president said that the solution may not come down to finance, pointing out that a committee he had established is examining the question of allocation and distribution of tickets.