Poll shows big support for opening Croke Park

Gaelic Games: Public opinion is overwhelmingly in favour of Croke Park being opened up to other sports, at least on a short-term basis. That is the finding of an Irish Times /TNS mrbi poll.

In answer to the question - Should the GAA make Croke Park available for rugby and soccer matches while Lansdowne Road is being developed? - 80 per cent said 'yes', 12 per cent said 'no', whereas only eight per cent had no opinion on the matter.

The question was asked in relation to the period of time it would take for the development of a National Stadium at Lansdowne Road. That is likely to happen between 2006 and 2008, assuming the planning process goes according to schedule and that building can start in two years' time.

During the reconstruction both the FAI and IRFU will be looking for a venue and in the absence of Croke Park being made available, soccer and rugby internationals would have to be played in Britain.

That such a scenario would have adverse public relations consequences for the GAA will not come as news to Croke Park and is borne out by the figures in this poll, the findings of which are in line with other surveys on the issue.

Given the size of the majority and the comprehensive nature of the sample size, it is reasonable to assume sizeable support within the GAA for the opening of Croke Park in the specified circumstances.

While one might expect greater support for the traditional GAA position from rural voters, this poll shows urban and rural dwellers equally supportive of opening Croke Park to soccer and rugby during a redevelopment of Lansdowne.

In urban areas, 80 per cent believe it should be made available, 12 per cent that it should not and eight per cent have no opinion. In rural areas, 79 per cent believe it should be made available, 13 per cent that it should not and eight per cent have no opinion on the matter.

There are, of course, no statistics on how the broad GAA membership as opposed to the electorate sees the issue of Rule 42 - the provision that is used to prevent rugby and soccer being played in Croke Park. But such figures would be of limited relevance anyway given that the matter will be decided by the GAA's annual congress whose delegates are older and more conservative than the membership at large.

Significantly when Rules 27 and 28 - the Ban on "foreign games" - were abolished 33 years ago the dynamic for change came from a proposal - its implications surprisingly missed by Congress - to take a plebiscite of GAA members on the issue.

Around the country when members voted it became clear that opinion was overwhelmingly in favour of repealing the Ban and only two counties, Sligo and Antrim, voted for its retention.

Support for allowing Croke Park be used by soccer and rugby is very evenly spread, not just between rural and urban voters but among all age groups and supporters of all the political parties.

Support for the opening of Croke Park is marginally stronger among Labour supporters (85 per cent). Support among Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin supporters is the same as the national average, despite the fact that one might expect these parties' voters to be more amenable to the traditional GAA view.

The GAA congress in Killarney this coming April is expected to debate the issue.