Hi-tech approach puts GAA in picture

Two new strategies aimed primarily at promoting the GAA to overseas and younger audiences were announced in Croke Park yesterday. The intention, according to GAA president Seán Kelly, is to increase awareness of the games at a national and international level.

A set of videos showing the basics of football and hurling is designed to provide a general introduction for those unfamiliar with Gaelic games. And a new website is aimed at raising awareness of the games among youngsters.

The videos - The Basic Guide to Football and The Basic Guide to Hurling - were devised by the Coaching and Games Development committee at Croke Park as tools to promote the GAA abroad.

"Most Irish people who have gone abroad have in some way taken their interest in GAA with them and so helped bring GAA to the world," said Kelly. "But partly because of the lack of any great emigration these days we needed to find new ways to bring our games overseas.

"But as well as increasing awareness there is also an increase in participation, especially in areas of the US and Asia."

The new website - www.cul4kidz.com- parallels the first of the magazine versions already distributed to primary schools and with The Irish Times.

At yesterday's launch Kelly also touched on some of the GAA's other current interests, including the redevelopment of the Hill 16 terrace and the application to build a hotel opposite the Hogan Stand.

A meeting next week will decide on the course of the work which will see the Hill 16 terrace extended across the railway end of the stadium, and for which planning permission has already been granted.

"My own feeling on this is that we will press ahead with the work before the end of the year," said Kelly. "At this stage I don't see any great advantage in delaying the work any further.

"It will mean going further into debt, but it has to be remembered as well that the work will increase the stadium's capacity, which ultimately will bring in more money.

"And I also feel that there would be even greater costs incurred if the work was put off long term.

"But perhaps most importantly of all it would mean the final completion of the stadium."

Kelly stressed, however, that the final decision was a matter for the Management Committee, and that all factors would have to be taken into account before any commitment to complete the stadium over the next year.

The planning application for the four-star hotel opposite the Hogan Stand had been submitted before the deadline for a special tax allowance, and while some objections have been raised by the local residents, Kelly described them as "largely expected, and nothing out of the ordinary".

There was, added Kelly, also a strong show of interest from investors who would provide the capital for the hotel project. "I've just received an update on the interest of investors," he said, "and it certainly seems there will be no problems raising the required finance."

RTÉ, meanwhile, are still examining the possibilities of broadcasting live the All-Ireland hurling qualifier between Offaly and Limerick tomorrow week, July 17th, which has a 7 p.m. throw-in at Semple Stadium. Every effort will be made to provide live coverage, partly to make up for the loss of a hurling qualifier this Saturday as a result of the GAC fixing the Galway-Tipperary game for Sunday.

While the decision did upset RTÉ's schedule, it didn't represent any breach of contract as some flexibility had been agreed with regards to the live broadcasts to allow for the uncertainties about the qualifier dates, as well as the possibilities of replays.