McKenna looking to the future at Croker

IN a way, it’s something of a mission statement for the GAA’s new stadium and commercial director.

Peter McKenna’s attention is brought to an article from October in which his predecessor and recently-retired colleague, Dermot Power, spoke critically of the McKenna-led Páirc an Chrócaigh Teoranta (PCT) being “a separate entity” and competing with the GAA.

His reaction? “I’m a great believer in that you should just look forward. We can write the history when we retire so I’m not going to look back, I’m going to look forward.”

The Articles of Association of PCT has recently been changed to copperfasten the company’s operations under the auspices of the GAA. Power’s point seems to overlook just how well PCT has performed as the Association’s cash-cow under McKenna over the last 10 years.

So well, in fact, that it convinced the GAA to appoint him to the newly-created role in September.

He takes over Power’s brief “with some modifications”, dealing with sponsorship, licensing and media rights, as well as marketing. He defers day-to-day activities at Croke Park to Alan Gallagher, the stadium operations manager, while managing the main aspects concerning the stadium’s financial performance.

The main challenge is the decreasing discretionary spend, although the GAA’s current TV/media deals have two years to go while four of the six associate All-Ireland sponsors are confirmed for next year, the SHC backers Guinness and Etihad Airlines being the exceptions.

The associate sponsor model is something he appreciates has drawbacks as well as advantages but it’s his intention to stick with it.

“Sponsors have got a good return and now is not the time to make abrupt changes. I really think the current sponsorship model has strengths as well as weaknesses but in a market which is fragile, as it is at the moment, precipitating change is not the way to take it.”

Maintaining sponsors’ value for money is high on his list of priorities but he has ruled out creating championship bundles (All-Ireland senior, U21 and minor) for sponsors, as has been mooted since last year.

Maximising untapped revenue streams in areas such as gaming is something McKenna believes will be a lot easier thanks to an improved working relationship with the GPA.

“The meetings I’ve had to date with [GPA chief executive] Dessie Farrell and Aidan Gordon [head of GPA operations] have been extraordinarily positive,” he enthused.

“I can see us doing some really good stuff together. I think there are probably opportunities in areas we haven’t touched in licensing products in a wider context than the flags and keyrings we would have concentrated heretofore.

“There are probably areas such as the gaming side. We explored some years ago the Playstation but I do think there are opportunities in that space as it’s developed.

“There are no shortage of opportunities. The challenge is to focus on those what will give us the best return. We can’t do everything and be scatter-gun about it because that way we would achieve very little.”

Regarding Croke Park, McKenna is delighted all three concert slots for June 2012 were filled so early, although he regrets missing out on Bruce Springsteen next July.

“It’s a midweek concert and we just couldn’t fit it in with matches,” he rued.

However, GAA HQ will be a buzz of activity from February with Dublin’s Allianz Spring Series, and with the International Eucharistic Conference in June.

There’s also the possibility of the stadium roof tours being launched on St Patrick’s Day.

“I have to emphasise that this rooftop tour will be a massive city attraction for tourists and there are 10-plus jobs involved in it. There will also be jobs involved in construction.

“We are a huge economic stimulus in our own right. All the dots are joined to serve the association to that type of economic activity that would be generated.”

However, the initiative, just like the reconstruction of the Handball Centre, has been delayed by appeals from individuals who interrupted this year’s Congress in Mullingar. It’s something McKenna has no problem in admitting has caused him great frustration.

“We invest e100,000 a year in the community and local projects and we feel we’re good, strong corporate citizens.

“We recognise our activities by their very nature are disruptive but equally we have a very strong policy of hiring local people.

“The most disheartening fact is that these guys [the main protesters] don’t even live in the area and they probably live further away from Croke Park than I do and yet they are quite disruptive in the approach that they take.

“That said, it’s not going to stop us trying to find the best way of reaching out to the community and understand our responsibilities and giving back to the community.”