Dubs target Sam win every three years

A new stadium with a capacity of around 30,000, All-Ireland football titles every three years and new provincial status for the purposes of increased funding.

They’re the most eye-catching plans contained in Dublin GAA’s wish list for the next six years.

‘The Blue Wave’, Dublin’s official strategy from 2011 to 2017, was officially launched at Croke Park last night and, like all good business proposals, if half of the plans come to fruition it appears it will have been a success.

Perhaps the most fanciful target is for Dublin to claim ‘a senior football All-Ireland every three years’. Only a slightly more modest projection is allowed for in hurling where MacCarthy Cup success every five years is viewed as attainable.

Neutrals will surely view the projections as fanciful given the competitive nature of both championships, though, with the right sort of backing, ambitious plans for a shiny new stadium may be achievable.

In the area of providing ‘appropriate facilities’ the plan states Dublin’s needs have outgrown the 10,000 capacity Parnell Park while, at over 80,000, Croke Park is too big for all but season-defining games.

As a result, it is Dublin’s intention to ‘Develop a stadium to bridge the gap between the capacity of Parnell Park and the 82,300 capacity of Croke Park’.

The idea of a third major GAA stadium in Dublin is nothing new with talk throughout the last decade of building a ground similar to Parnell Park on the south side. There was, of course, the famous and ultimately fruitless drive to have Gaelic games catered for at the Tallaght Stadium.

But the implication that a new stadium may stretch to upwards of 30,000 capacity means it could yet host not just Dublin teams but various inter-county matches that would currently be swallowed up in the cavernous Croke Park.

Under the heading ‘key actions’, an ‘economic appraisal for the construction of an optimum size stadium taking into account the stadia deficit in the neighbouring counties’ is recommended.

It remains to be seen how such a venture would be funded, though, generally speaking, Dublin GAA believe they should be treated different to other counties given the vast area they serve, 20 per cent of the population. In fact, it is suggested Dublin be given provincial status in terms of funding, with a pointed reference to the fact that Dublin is ‘de facto responsible for introducing Gaelic games to almost 30% of the population of the 26 counties’.

The targets are to ‘Achieve provincial status for Dublin terms of funding allocated by Central Council’ as well as to ‘Increase annual commercial revenues of the county board by at least €1.5m over the plan period’.

On the governance front, one of six key strategic objectives includes obtaining ‘Provincial status for developmental purposes by representation of the Dublin Chairman on Coiste Bainisti (GAA Management Committee)’

The report concludes with a suggestion regarding the future scheduling of the Leinster championships.

It is proposed that earlier rounds of the football and hurling championships are played on the same weekend, to free up more time for club activity.

Long-term, the clear plan is for Dublin to be a powerhouse of both the football and hurling championships. Under the heading ‘creating the bridge from participation to inter-county success’ the idea of promoting dual status is effectively ruled out.

It is stated that ‘Best practice on skill development advises that specialisation in one code – be it football or hurling – from age 15 onwards is preferable to enable the advanced technical development of players and achieve peak performance in the chosen code’.