Counties want to face Dubs at Croke Park, says Leinster’s Michael Reynolds

Leinster Council secretary Michael Reynolds says Portlaoise remains firmly in the mix to host Dublin in the 2016 football championship but pointed to the general reality that most people want Croke Park because they see it as “Mecca”.

Kilkenny’s Nowlan Park, with a 17,000 seating capacity, has been suggested as the likely alternative to Croke Park if the decision is taken to make the All-Ireland holders hit the road for a provincial opener next summer.

Dublin play the winners of the first round tie between Laois and Wicklow and though Laois’s Portlaoise base has just 6,000 seats, Reynolds said it remains as much an option as Nowlan Park which has been widely touted as the principle alternative. It had been speculated that the larger seating capacity available at Nowlan Park was required to accommodate season-ticket holders, though Reynolds said all options remain on the table.