Dublin quarter-final re-fixture least of residents’ worries
But the group is still dismayed at ongoing problems around the stadium on match days.
It isn’t the extra fixture that local residents are concerned about, but the problems surrounding matches in general, specifically the core issues of policing, post-match cleaning and traffic control.
The CPARA is angry about the cooperation, or lack of, that they receive from the stadium authorities and, while taking matters to court would be difficult for a voluntary organisation, chairman Patrick Gates has not ruled out the possibility.
“We have been treated with contempt and dishonesty and we’ve been led down the garden path,” said Gates yesterday.
“Croke Park have made commitments with us and then found ways to withdraw from them in the past. Even our political representatives have been treated with contempt.”
The level of disaffection seems to be growing. Two more residents’ associations have joined the alliance this year, bringing to 11 the amount of groups under the CPARA umbrella.
Gates welcomed the news this week that Croke Park authorities are considering introducing a park and ride scheme for next year’s championship but added much more could be done.
The alliance and local politicians will meet on September 8 to examine an independent match-day monitoring report conducted last year and Gates is certain it will confirm the points they have been making for years.
“The GAA has had the report of the independent monitors for eight months and they’ve done nothing. We managed to get the GAA to pay for the independent monitoring system last year but it should be done on an ongoing basis so problems can be regularly identified and dealt with. Instead, it isn’t being funded this year.
“This is a state-of-the-art stadium and there’s no reason why we can’t all be accommodated without hassle. We’re not naive, you can’t have 80,000 people coming to a game without some problems, but things can be done far better than they are at the moment.”
