Dublin CEO John Costello makes stadia warning

A number of provincial grounds will require refurbishment work in order to host major fixtures in the latter stages of the All-Ireland football championship if GAA Director General Pauric Duffy’s proposals at tweaking the competition are accepted.

So believes Dublin chief executive John Costello who has given his overall backing to the plan put forward by the Ard Stiurthoir and one which would see the current quarter-final stage replaced by two ‘super groups’ of four teams playing over three weekends.

“There are lots of provincial venues that tick most boxes when it comes to overall standard of facilities and ground capacity,” wrote Costello. “There are several more that patently do not. Even more crucial is the issue of seating capacity - you need a stand (or stands) that can accommodate families and all of the season-ticket holders from the competing counties.”