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So
Bertie’s coalition partner Mary
Harney has finally forced the
government to backtrack and
rethink their Stadium Ireland
plans. Her contention that the act
of awarding public money to the
GAA to finish Croke Park must be
conditional on that organisation
throwing open its doors to other
sports, thereby making Croker the
de facto national stadium, is a
sensible one. This would have the
effect of calling time on the
planned 80,000 “Bertie Bowl.”
Personally, I had supported the
FAI’s initial plans to build
their own headquarters out in City
West. A home of their own would
have allowed at least some degree
of independence for an association
that has relied for too long on
the kindness of the IRFU. That
plan died as the building costs
began spiraling before even a sod
was turned. There really was no
way that the FAI chiefs could turn
down the £130 million over 10
years they were offered by the
government in return for scrapping
their plans and moving to
Abbotstown.
However, as of yet there is no
great certainty that Croke Park
will host the garrison games,
leaving the FAI somewhat uncertain
as to where they will play their
international matches. Miss Harney’s
intervention has been based around
questioning the need for Stadium
Ireland itself. It is possible
that a smaller stadium will be
built - perhaps of a 60,000
capacity. In some ways this might
be preferable. However, I believe
that working with the GAA is the
most sensible strategy. Although I
am no great supporter of the GAA,
they have been the ones
responsible for building a
remarkable infrastructure for
their games over the last 100
years, mostly through times when
money was scarce. Forcing them to
open their doors to other, rival
sports is a little unsavoury, even
if they could do with the cash. A
more measured approach might help.
The more enlightened members of
the GAA realise that there is now
a financial imperative to be more
open in their thinking. Croke Park
like so many other stadiums before
is running dangerously over budget
and is threatening the very life
blood of the game here - the grass
roots. The organisation is finding
it increasingly difficult to fund
the development of the game at
local level - development that is
critical if the sports are to
maintain their popularity with the
generations to come. And when the
time comes to revamp their other
stadiums around the country - in
Cork, Thurles, Killarney, etc, -
where will the money come from?
The recent GAA vote showed signs
that the free thinkers are
beginning to get the upper hand.
Perhaps next year the gates will
open. For me, this process has to
be allowed to happen naturally.
Harney’s argument about the use
of public funding is a clever and
realistic one, and one that will
not be lost on those inside the
organisation. Many have seen the
light. It is time for negotiation.
Here is what I believe the
government should bring to the
table. Stadium Ireland should be
scrapped, although the rest of the
Abbotstown facility should be
built. The public money from the
stadium should be used in several
different areas. The first should
be to finish Croke Park in return
for deals with the FAI and IRFU
allowing them to use it for major
occasions. There is nothing new in
this idea. But this next
suggestion might help to sweeten
the deal even further, making it
more palatable. Money freed up
from Stadium Ireland should also
be used to upgrade the GAA’s
main stadia in Thurles, Cork and
Limerick. These should also then
be available for use by the IRFU
and the FAI for major occasions.
Moreover, Landsdowne Road should
be tidied up into a 30,000 seat
stadium to be used to events
involving the FAI and IRFU that
are likely only to attract such
crowds.
This may indeed be a very costly
undertaking - but surely no more
expensive than what is presently
being proposed and far more
equitable. Were these suggestions
to be followed, we would have
state of the art facilities for
many of our minority sports like
swimming and cycling at Abbotstown.
Money might also be made available
to make Santry capable of holding
world class athletics meets.
Moreover, Croke Park would be
sustainable and the national
stadium would be much more
accessible. Can you imagine the
atmosphere at a critical Ireland
England rugby match at that venue?
Critical World Cup qualifiers
would crackle. We could easily
host a Champions League Final. The
GAA would most certainly be better
off.
These suggestions could also see 6
Nations rugby played in Cork or
Thurles. If the interest of recent
times is anything to go by, a full
house in Cork would be certainty
for an important Heineken Cup tie
for Munster. Moreover, those
people who don’t happen to live
in Dublin, and there are still
quite a few, might get the
opportunity to cheer on the Boys
in Green in their own back yards,
rather than trekking to the
capital. This would surely work.
Remember the huge crowd that
descended on Flower Lodge to see
Spain play Ireland for the Cork
800 celebrations?
Sport is about people and not just
facilities. Such a scheme would be
of great benefit to the whole
nation, instead of purely focusing
on Dublin. A plan as outlined here
is a realistic proposition. All
parties could surely be persuaded
of its merits. Investing in the
sporting infrastructure that
already exists could see us bid to
host a rugby world cup or a
European Soccer Championships and
do so with a realistic chance of
success. Putting all of our eggs
in one Stadium Ireland basket
would show a critical lack of
vision and would surely end
unhappily for all concerned.
What do
you reckon? Mail Paul at littleatlarge@dangerhere.com
or post your thoughts on our
message boards.
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