GREEN LIGHT
Now Kelly wants GAA to open ALL county grounds
THE GAA’s Central Council will give the green light this morning to Páirc Uí Chaoimh hosting the Liam Miller tribute as a once-off event but former president Sean Kelly has called on the association to open up all county grounds to rival sports like rugby and soccer, if required.
Croke Park’s management committee met last night after crunch talks between GAA representatives and organisers of the tribute match, which will take place on September 25.
At that meeting, it is believed that GAA president John Horan presented a solution to the impasse which will allow the game between the Manchester United legends selection and Celtic/
Ireland legends to take place at the 45,000-capacity stadium, rather than Turner’s Cross.
That solution involves the match now being called the Liam Miller memorial event and the game itself will just be one part of the evening in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, with an exhibition of Gaelic Games preceding the match itself.
It is understood this is how Horan and director general Tom Ryan decided to circumvent the rule that forbids ‘foreign games’ being played at GAA grounds.
There were reports last night that one of the proposals for compromise would see a slice of proceeds go to a benevolent fund for injured GAA players.
However, some GAA insiders expressed their unease with the suggestion, claiming it was an unlikely outcome.
Allowing the match to be played at the home of Cork GAA represents a dramatic climbdown from Croke Park, who only eight days ago issued a statement citing they had sought legal advice when refusing to host the game.
However, after a week of controversy when plenty of mud was slung at the association, the man who oversaw the ground-breaking decision to make Croke Park available to other sports during his time leading the GAA wants the rulebook to be updated at the annual Congress next February.
Kelly wants change to avoid unseemly situations like this happening again.
‘Definitely the county grounds,’ he said. ‘We have to utilise them and decide on what basis we can do it so we don’t have a divided situation like this again.
‘Like we do with the concerts at Croke Park, if people are afraid the floodgates will open, you could say a maximum of one or two or three per year. I think that would sufficiently control it.’
Kelly would like to see Ryan and Horan take the lead and reframe the rulebook with the necessary motion for change.
‘The new ard stiúrthóir and uachtarán need to sit down and see where the pitfalls are.
‘Consult. Come up with proposals to Congress to rectify all these things in the future.’
It was disappointing, believes Kelly, to see the GAA’s name dragged through the mud with former Republic of Ireland international Damien Duff labelling the authorities ‘dinosaurs’.
‘These events only crop up every now and again. When they do, you need a quick decision. You need to avoid a situation like what’s happened here, where people are taking pot-shots at the association,’ said Kelly.
A lot of the goodwill that we’ve built up is now being lost.
‘And people are saying stupid things like what Damien Duff said in frustration.
‘It isn’t nice to hear it, and it’s not true. But it leads to this situation when you don’t have a quick decision-making mechanism and flexibility in rule.’
John Caulfield, manager of Miller’s former club Cork City, said last night: ‘We’re only helping out from our side with the game in Turner’s Cross. We’ve nothing to do with the organisation of it. Wherever it will happen, it will still be a great occasion.’
Meanwhile, crowds in excess of 125,000 are expected through the turnstiles of Croke Park this weekend for the All-Ireland hurling semi-finals. The association believe more than 55,000 will attend Galway’s clash with Clare this afternoon with more than 70,000 expected for tomorrow’s hotly-anticipated Munster derby between Cork and Limerick.
Tickets for both games are still available but supporters are being told to purchase them before travelling to Croke Park.