The GAA will shortly make a submission to the Government seeking further funding for the Croke Park redevelopment. This was confirmed at yesterday's media briefing in the New Stand about the agenda for next month's annual congress in Dublin.
In the course of questions and answers concerning director general Liam Mulvihill's report, GAA president Sean McCague confirmed a submission would be made - and made soon - for more funds.
This had been expected for some time, particularly in the light of the inducement offered to the FAI last week to become involved in the national stadium project in Abbotstown.
Mulvihill confirmed the GAA would play some fixtures at the new venue, but, in the meantime, a number of matters are up for discussion between the GAA and the Government agency in charge of the Stadium Ireland project, and nothing has yet been agreed with Sports Campus (the Stadium Ireland development company).
"All aspects of our dealings with them are to be discussed," Mulvihill said. "The Government is anxious that any national stadium would have the capacity to stage Gaelic games and would like the GAA to sign up for a number of events. We have always said we'd sign up and have never begrudged the building of a national stadium and have never been negative about it. But any decision we make will be in terms of an overall package."
The Croke Park redevelopment is on course after last year's strikes and delays, and the Hogan Stand side is expected to be finished next year. This season's championships will have an enhanced capacity of nearly 4,000, bringing the overall capacity to 70,000.
Plans to remove team officials and substitutes from the sideline also feature in the new Hogan design. They will sit in a reserved area in the stand, with its own access to the pitch and the dressing-rooms. Mulvihill noted dryly in his report that, "it will require a major change in habits for some of the managers to adapt to this new provision".
It was also revealed that the GAA would submit a new proposal to the planning authorities for the development of Hill 16. At present, the northern end of the ground is due to be seated in accordance with a decision of An Bord Pleanala. That development must begin within 12 months of the completion of the Hogan side of the ground, but the GAA now wish to retain the standing terrace. Reasons advanced are the need to provide cheap accommodation for younger spectators and a desire to retain the atmosphere of the terrace. If the terraces remain, final capacity will be around 83,000; if not, the total will be 78,000.
There was also continuing concern expressed at the lack of matches for club players and the impact of growing inter-county schedules on club activity. Mulvihill had this to say in his report: "While the inter-county fixtures schedule will continue to capture the headlines, we cannot afford to allow the bedrock of the association to be undermined. This will happen if the chronic shortage of games is not addressed as a matter of urgency.
"Some county officials have claimed the inter-county fixtures schedule is now far too overloaded and that the club players are going to suffer. It is hard to see the situation getting much worse for the club players, but if the inter-county fixtures schedule was having a negative impact, I would not hesitate about what decision I would favour. I wouldn't hesitate to cut back on county games. The number of competitive games is woefully inadequate," said Mulvihill.
"Counties need a bit of backbone in their county officers," added association president McCague. "You can't have club matches hijacked in this way."
Mulvihill was sceptical about whether this year's new football championship format would achieve much for weaker counties and said he believed the gap in standards between counties was a separate issue. "I don't think a second day in the sun is going to benefit them that much. On the plus side, there is a far better chance that the eight best teams will be in the All-Ireland quarter-finals."
In relation to the general topic of championship reform, he was at pains to warn against the dangers of tinkering with the main competitions. "I think it's time to call a halt to experiments as I hope we wouldn't overdo the experimenting with major championships."
In relation to the yet to be concluded domestic television coverage deal, Mulvihill said he was "disappointed" at the interest shown by television companies, both in terms of the number of applicants and the money on offer. He confirmed that broadcasting rights on offer had been broken down into a number of packages, including a separate one for radio coverage. The radio package had also attracted a "disappointing level of interest".
He also hinted that the number of live matches on Sundays might be reduced. In a series of rhetorical questions he posed the following: "Should we have more games on Saturdays and bank holidays? Is it fair to the clubs to have a live programme stretching for three or four hours on many of the Sundays during the height of the club championship season? Should we concentrate more on the quality of the television coverage and less on the quantity?"
Other topics covered included:
- Concern at the increasingly complicated burdens placed on amateur officials by legal regulations on drug testing and the protection of children.
- The need to develop facilities in the provinces to enable the provincial councils to cater for the growing crowds who wish to attend championship matches.
- Hope that consideration of the report of the Strategic Review Committee would be given a reasonable period of time.
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