Croke Park - Open its doors to evil soccer ?

Yavvy

OK. I reckon my first post in the brand spanking new GAA board should be about Mecca
Or Croaker to the lay people. What does everyone think about foreign sports on the hallowed turf. And can anyone think of a good reason not to play Irish International Soccer and rugby matches there ,providing the pitch is not being severely damaged.
Surly its better than feckin tina turner concerts.

[edit]:)

Gordon

I may get slammed for this but I think Lansdowne is better for International games. Croke Park is situated next to some pretty dangerous areas imo and it brings out a better view of Dublin if tourists come to the city and are in an area like Ballsbridge as opposed to an area like Summerhill. Better for tourism surely?

Apologies to anyone living around Croke park, there are some nice areas. I used to live in Mountjoy square and always felt some sort of bad vibe when walking round my area. I now live in Ballsbridge and love the area and the people on the streets/shops. Such a colossal difference.

As for internal/national games of soccer and such like it should be on an even par I'd say.

Mercury_Tilt

This post has been deleted.

mike65

Yes it should if only for practical reasons, Croker is an expensive place to run and not earing anything for 6 months a year, which happens to be at the time when footie internationals are being played. And its better than Neil Diamond concerts.

Mike.

Yavvy

Yeah well said lads. As for the Area thing. Ballsbridge is a lovely area this is true and is an ideal setting for any tourist.
But Old Trafford is in a kip so is Anfield and many other Stadium
around the world... yet thousands of tourists flock there every week..why ? Cause of high class sport, top competitions and superb facilities. Summer hill and mount joy square aren’t the magical wonderlands we would like them to be but on GAA matchday they are grand places where locals can make a few bob selling flags, directing illegal car parks, selling warm 7 up and the like.....now imagine if that was Ireland playing, imagine if national pride was at stake. Did anyone see how good "the Flats" looked with Green , white and gold bunting and Irish Flags

I really wouldn’t consider Croakers location ever to be a big factor

Waylander

I think soccer should be played in Croker, after all they used to play American Football in there, but for purely practical reasons I ndo not think Rugby should be allowed. It tends to rip up the pitch more than other sports.

hussey

I think it should

We have an absoluty class staduim in croker, which is rare for ireland to have something we can boast about

why not share it with world

Darkillion

they should. it could have meant the world cup in Eire! but, alas, no more

Thanx 4 The Fish

Originally posted by hussey
I think it should

We have an absoluty class staduim in croker,

Great stadium, shame that the pitch is so shabby, there willl need to be alot of work done on it before it can be used for international matches.

TBH I think that as a means to an end, the government should stop throwing money at the association until they do decide to let other sports be played there.

Waylander

Great stadium, shame that the pitch is so shabby, there willl need to be alot of work done on it before it can be used for international matches.

Point one - Landsdowne Road has a better pitch ?????

Point two - I have never noticed anything wrong with the pitch in Croker. I have not seen it since the All Ireland final in September but it was in fine condition then and has not been used too often since apart from the international series. The winter league matches will not help it all that much but at least it is not rugby. Sure Uefa wanted to hold a champions league fianl there after they inspected it.

kingconor

Yeah of course they should!! The GAA are just bigots!!

Yavvy

Croak park have invested in some ground keeping techonogy that means that pitch will be 99% level at all times, no bumps no hollows and the grass has some sort of wire mesh 4 inches under the topsoil to insure the sods do not spererate ( like old trafford and the San sero did)

God imagine the European cup final in Dublin....

that would be fantastic

Waylander

On todayfm this morning PK was saying that the GAA now have an overdraft of €70m. They may not have much choice but to bring it up at the next annual congress.

Yavvy

Please God, I think the new head man could be in favour of other sports at headquarters. If he can just sway the other members of the board.

I wonder if there is a petition...I wonder if we can start one.

Has anyone got advice on how to go about this ?

Waylander

They are now considering holding the Dublin Tyrone match the week after next there too. The GAA are reluctant cause they do not want the pitch getting damaged before the Club finals on Paddy's day. The pitch looked fine to me on Sunday and it would still have a month to recover so I think they should do it but I am surprised the residents are not going mad about the extra games there. I think the final decision is tomorrow evening.

Yavvy

the pitch was perfect. It didnt cut up in the slightist

I saw a few hard slides and the pitch was perfect....

I dont think they will get 50,000 again for that match

Villain

I know this is an old debate and the Poll speaks volumes, but I just read that U2 are going to play at croker, How in god's name can they allow concerts to be played there while the Irish soccer team play in a shabby old stadium. Double the tickets could have been sold for the Ireland v Russia game last week. Imagine the atmosphere with 90% singing for Ireland. They say we have a 12th man in the Irish crowd well let us play in Croker and we'l have a 13th as well!!!!.

Sorry for digging up old news but I don't think this issue should be left alone until the Grab All Assocciation (GAA) let soccer in.

Imposter

I never noticed this thread before but i'll wade in on the other side.

I follow both GAA sports and soccer and I think the GAA have good reasons for not letting soccer play in Croker.

As for those who say the government are throwing money at the GAA lets look at some facts:
The GAA network around the country has been largely built up by the GAA. They have invested in communities and done a lot of good all around Ireland.
How much money did the GAA invest in Croker? Compare to the proposed Eircom Park!

Soccer has no such infrastructure. There are very few county GAA grounds that hold less people than the biggest of the eircom league grounds (Tolka, Dalymount? i dunno). That's about 30 stadiums that are bigger than anything soccer can boast.

If soccer is so popular in Ireland then why isn't club soccer bigger? Surely if club soccer was bigger then the FAI could build (with the help of the government, but mostly themselves) their own stadium.

IMO from what i see of local clubs and the attitude towards playing in Croker soccer are out to piggy back on the work done by others. Croke park was always in Dublin and the old stadium used to hold more than Landsdowne yet only since the stadium Ireland (which originally would cost the FAI virtually nothing) plan fell through (and Eircom Park) is Croke park the ideal solution for all irish sports.

I will also be the first to admit that the GAA can and generally is very backward when it comes to making progressive decisions but I feel they are right in this instance.

PH01

It's a great stadium and it's a credit to the GAA. And it would be a great gesture on behalf of the GAA to allow soccer, rugby and other national teams to use the facilities.
But it's up to the GAA

IgnatiusJRiley

C.R.O.K.E

Villain

Originally posted by Imposter
If soccer is so popular in Ireland then why isn't club soccer bigger? Surely if club soccer was bigger then the FAI could build (with the help of the government, but mostly themselves) their own stadium.

Very simple answer all our best players play in other leagues to progress their skill and bank balance, anyone who follows soccer will that.

Originally posted by Imposter

IMO from what i see of local clubs and the attitude towards playing in Croker soccer are out to piggy back on the work done by others. Croke park was always in Dublin and the old stadium used to hold more than Landsdowne yet only since the stadium Ireland (which originally would cost the FAI virtually nothing) plan fell through (and Eircom Park) is Croke park the ideal solution for all irish sports.

So this is a valid reason to stop thousands of people supporting their NATIONAL team at big games??? The government have given the GAA a lot of money thats partly mine and yours as tax payers so should they be allowed to let concerts in for money making and stop the national team from playing there??

I can't believe anyone would want to hold back the Irish team, and I know Politics isn't allowed here but one minor point.

Would you rather we spent hundreds of millions on a Bertie Bowl and leave the Health system the way it is, while we have a perfectly good stadium part funded by the government??

Imposter

Originally posted by irish1
Very simple answer all our best players play in other leagues to progress their skill and bank balance, anyone who follows soccer will that.

This is true but what is the FAI doing about promoting the Irish League and keeping some of these players in Ireland. Surely Ireland should be able to have a league something like the standard of the SPL (without the top 2) or the english first division! Take for example Switz or Austria. They've had Champions league teams on small budgets which perform adequately at that level. The simple fact is that the top Irish players will go abroad but at the moment the next level of players generally go too and that for me is the problem.

So this is a valid reason to stop thousands of people supporting their NATIONAL team at big games???

Croker would ONLY be sold out once or twice every 2 years for competitive matches. So where are these FANS for their NATIONAL team during the other matches?

The government have given the GAA a lot of money thats partly mine and yours as tax payers so should they be allowed to let concerts in for money making and stop the national team from playing there??

Soccer has gotten money from the government as well whether it be direct grants or Lotto money. What have they to show for it? Just because the GAA decided to build a world-class stadium does not give everyone who wants a right to play in it. It's the GAA's. None of the money given to it by the government was conditional on letting other sports play there. As mentioned before the Government were going to help out with Eircom park but the FAI decided against building it.

I can't believe anyone would want to hold back the Irish team,

How is that happening?
The same players are going to play whether it be Landsdowne or Croker. Holding back 'fans' is a different point but don't forget the great atmosphere at Landsdowne of late. Imagine 80,000 like that.

Would you rather we spent hundreds of millions on a Bertie Bowl and leave the Health system the way it is, while we have a perfectly good stadium part funded by the government??

This is about sport not politics so i'll ignore the Health system bit. As for the Bertie Bowl, Ireland should have a national stadium. Croker is not it. It got donations from the government and is not owned by them.

Villain

Originally posted by Imposter
This is true but what is the FAI doing about promoting the Irish League and keeping some of these players in Ireland. Surely Ireland should be able to have a league something like the standard of the SPL (without the top 2) or the english first division! Take for example Switz or Austria. They've had Champions league teams on small budgets which perform adequately at that level. The simple fact is that the top Irish players will go abroad but at the moment the next level of players generally go too and that for me is the problem.

Population is a major problem here and the fact that the second and third division across the water is more tempting.

Originally posted by Imposter

Croker would ONLY be sold out once or twice every 2 years for competitive matches. So where are these FANS for their NATIONAL team during the other matches?

It may not be sold out but we'd get a lot more.

Originally posted by Imposter

Soccer has gotten money from the government as well whether it be direct grants or Lotto money. What have they to show for it? Just because the GAA decided to build a world-class stadium does not give everyone who wants a right to play in it. It's the GAA's. None of the money given to it by the government was conditional on letting other sports play there. As mentioned before the Government were going to help out with Eircom park but the FAI decided against building it.

They haven't recieved the same ammount, we have a school of excelence and 14th in the world to show for it.

Originally posted by Imposter

How is that happening?
The same players are going to play whether it be Landsdowne or Croker. Holding back 'fans' is a different point but don't forget the great atmosphere at Landsdowne of late. Imagine 80,000 like that.

Exactly my point the atmosphere would give the players that extra lift and allow them to play on a great playing surface.

Originally posted by Imposter

This is about sport not politics so i'll ignore the Health system bit. As for the Bertie Bowl, Ireland should have a national stadium. Croker is not it. It got donations from the government and is not owned by them.

No way why spend money like that when our economy is sliding and our country is in a bad state, can you say that a bertie bowl is worth that money when theres a world class stadium in the country??

Milkman

I don't follow GAA or footy but as a local resident, I'd be completely against Soccer in the stadium. I used to live very close to a large soccer stadium abroad and it was a complete nightmare, pissheads and fights all the bloody time. GAA on the other hand, it may be madness for a few hours but never had a problem with those supporters. As a general rule its families having a day out, I've never seen fights or people smashing bottle etc... and i've lived in the area for a few years.

This is of course a generalisation, and not all soccer fans are bad, and not all GAA fans are good.. but thats my experience...and it is a poll for peoples opinion.

As a complete outsider who cares nothing(read knows nothing and likes it that way) for either sport or the politics behind them, let the FAI build its own bleed'n stadium, stop bitching and moaning that the GAA have one, yes they got some cash from the gov but they also put their own moeny in as well...

Out of curiousity do the FAI get taxpayers money for anything, and if yes, why and what do they use it for?

m

Villain

Originally posted by Milkman
I don't follow GAA or footy but as a local resident, I'd be completely against Soccer in the stadium. I used to live very close to a large soccer stadium abroad and it was a complete nightmare, pissheads and fights all the bloody time. GAA on the other hand, it may be madness for a few hours but never had a problem with those supporters. As a general rule its families having a day out, I've never seen fights or people smashing bottle etc... and i've lived in the area for a few years.

I haven't seen ANY rows at a Ireland game since the english thugs came over and wrecked landsdowne years ago.

p.pete

International crowds are generally
more friendly then clubs that you get
at league matches.

Like irish1 said there is rarely a
problem at Ireland matches - before
during or after.

It is only with other British teams
that we have any kind of intense
rivalry with and these games are few
and far between.

GuanYin

If memory serves, American Football and Aussie Rules have both been played at Croke Park. So the "GAA Only, no foreign games" policy is a bit bemusing.

Its quite simply down to the GAA having the old CBS notion. I thought it really showed up the mentality when the commentators of the Hurling Final on Sunday said "I think he's watching those foreign games" in reference to a comparison of Beckhams accuracy at free taking.

Simply put, the GAA feels threathened by soccer. They always have, thats why it was banned in some schools and why the brand it "foreign" (yet not rugby, american football or aussie rules). They don't realise that alot of players enjoy both games and they focus more on "loyalty" than enjoyment.

Its a bloody sport, a past time, people will come and enjoy GAA or they won't, soccer has no role in the equation, except perhaps to put people off the GAA and their pettiness.

Villain

Originally posted by sykeirl
If memory serves, American Football and Aussie Rules have both been played at Croke Park. So the "GAA Only, no foreign games" policy is a bit bemusing.

Ya I forgot about that, well said sykeir.

l

Yavvy

Originally posted by IgnatiusJRiley
C.R.O.K.E

what are you on about ?

p.s. nice to see this being debated further

cournioni

The GAA really need to stop being stupid and let them just play in the Croker. What harm would it cause?

Imposter

Originally posted by sykeirl
If memory serves, American Football and Aussie Rules have both been played at Croke Park. So the "GAA Only, no foreign games" policy is a bit bemusing.

I'm not sure here but I think it's a case of the GAA looking at each sport on its merits. A once off American Football game is not the same as 7 or 8 games every two years. As for Australian Rules was it not the compromise rules that were played there?

Simply put, the GAA feels threathened by soccer. They always have, thats why it was banned in some schools and why the brand it "foreign" (yet not rugby, american football or aussie rules). They don't realise that alot of players enjoy both games and they focus more on "loyalty" than enjoyment.

That is possibly the mentality of the conservative 'traditionalists' but a large percentage do realise that the GAA can't have a monopoly on players. Rugby also gets branded the same in these quarters too.

However in saying that, deciding to open up Croke Park to soccer would mean the possibility of more issues with residents and also the possibility of fixtures at certain times of the year when the GAA use the stadium quite heavily. Would soccer agree to not have fixtures in these times? Would they be willing to use another stadium (such as Landsdowne)? Or would they bitch about how the GAA is anti-soccer?

I get the impression it would be the latter as soccer supporters moreso (but also less-so the FAI) seem to think they have a RIGHT to do as they wish and complain when someone disagrees.

As for the question of atmosphere at Landsdowne I don't think having 80,000 fans would generate a better atmosphere (unless of course Ireland was winning). I do think it could generate an eerie silence when things weren't going our way.