All-Ireland club finals may have to be played outside of Croke Park, Central Council hears
CROKER, NO MORE? Dublin manager Dessie Farrell and his players before the Allianz Football League Division 2 match between Dublin and Kildare at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
The All-Ireland club finals may have to be played out of Croke Park in the future, Central Council were informed on Saturday.
As it was acknowledged at the meeting that too many games were played on the surface before Christmas, commercial and stadium director Peter McKenna gave a report to delegates documenting the number of games played last year.
The condition of the turf was heavily criticised following the All-Ireland senior club finals earlier this month, and McKenna acknowledged that it “looked tired” while defending the playability of the sod.
There is a possibility the club final games may have to be staged outside GAA HQ when they are scheduled in January at a time of the year with little or no growth.
Next year’s senior finals are scheduled for January 20/21 with the junior and intermediate deciders the previous weekend.
It remains to be seen if a review of the footfall on the pitch could also impact Dublin’s long-standing staging of their home games at Croke Park. After their Division 2 opener against Kildare on Saturday, there is no fixture there until Dublin’s footballers and hurlers’ double-header against Tipperary and Clare on February 25.
Meanwhile, the GAA will report close to an €19 million surplus in their 2022 accounts next week.
Central Council delegates were informed in Croke Park on Saturday that the five Garth Brooks concerts at the stadium in September contributed handsomely to last year’s revenue, the profit figure an increase of almost €6m on the 2021’s €13.5m.
The 2022 surplus is all the more impressive when state funding accounted for €29m of the GAA’s revenue in 2021.
However, at this point there are no concerts scheduled for the stadium for 2023 with the possibility of a Katie Taylor fight at GAA HQ thrown into doubt earlier this week.
Last season’s Allianz Leagues brought in €3.6m and it is expected that figure will be surpassed in 2023.
Central Council elected not to introduce the maor foirne on a limited basis.
The Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) had put forward a number of options about teams being allowed the restricted use of a running selector during a game.
However, in a setback for senior inter-county management teams, delegates were advised against doing so by the standing playing rules committee who proposed it in 2021 and it was voted in by that year’s Annual Congress.
Meanwhile, the CCCC’s hearing of Glen’s objection and Kilmacud Crokes’ counter-objection arising from last Sunday’s All-Ireland Club SFC final has been provisionally fixed for Monday.
The clubs have to confirm their attendance at a meeting where Crokes’ potential rule breach, the use of more than 15 players, will be heard.
The 16th man controversy was not raised at Saturday’s Central Council meeting.
