Paul Rouse: Flawed logic to GAA stadium policy

The Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire once wrote that the atmosphere at a GAA game was usually more like that of a race meeting than a mere football match, writes Paul Rouse.

He was referring, of course, to the swell of exuberance on any given Sunday when towns across Ireland filled with locals and visitors to see their county play provincial championship matches.

The Earl was writing in his acclaimed Encyclopedia of Sports and Games, published in 1911, and his point endures: When it comes down to it, a lot of what is unique about the GAA is the atmosphere in country towns on the days of big matches.