John Prenty: Capacity fears led to Croke Park switch

The GAA’s Competitions Control Committee (CCC) are expecting an attendance of “at least 15,000 people” to attend Saturday evening’s All-Ireland SFC Qualifier between Mayo and Kildare, and that was the primary reason behind the decision to move the game from St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge, to Croke Park.

Connacht GAA Council secretary, John Prenty, who is a member of the CCC, confirmed last night that the controversial decision to move the Round 3 qualifier from Newbridge to Croke Park was taken due as a result of insufficient capacity at St Conleth’s Park under health and safety restrictions.

“The safe capacity for St Conleth’s Park is just over 9,000 according to the Slattery Report,” explained Prenty. “So, when a health and safety report dictates that the capacity cannot exceed that figure, and the expected attendance for Mayo against Kildare is at least 15,000, obviously those two figures are not compatible.