PLANS TO HOLD future American football games at Croke Park will be dependent on the outcome of the upcoming vote on new proposals for the All-Ireland senior football championship.
If the motion is passed, it will create more games in Croke Park and that would determine the availability of the stadium to host other sports like American football.
Croke Park hosted the college football game in August 2014 between Penn State and University of Central Florida.
“I think we’ve gone through that cycle and before we look at anything I think we have to look at the result of Congress on Páraic’s proposals,” said Peter McKenna, the GAA’s Commercial Manager and Croke Park Stadium Director.
“If they’re accepted, that’s going to change our calendar a lot. At the moment we’re not looking in that space.”
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McKenna revealed that they have not abandoned their ambition of hosting an NFL game in the stadium and pointed to the successful staging of games in London.
“(It’s) not just Wembley, you can see Tottenham are lining themselves up to take American football games and I think two or three have gone to Twickenham.
“London have really seen the value of bringing an NFL franchise to the city and what it does in terms of hotels and so on.
The GAA's Commercial Manager Peter McKenna Piaras Ó Mídheach / SPORTSFILE
Piaras Ó Mídheach / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE
“There’s so much that happens in a big city like London, it just fades into the ether as it were whereas Dublin is far more suited to that.
“But for us to go hell for leather after it we need to know what our calendar is going to be like for the next three, four years.
“American football or boxing is seen as a sport. (It) doesn’t eat into our restrictions (in staging events like concerts).”
The association have also sought to ‘move on’ from the disappointment of losing out to the Aviva Stadium in the bidding to stage last September’s college football game between Boston College and Georgia Tech.
The game between Boston College and Georgia Tech took place on 3 September last year. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
GAA Director-General Páraic Duffy was critical of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport at the time, claiming they were made ‘to look foolish’.
“We made our point at the time,” said McKenna.
“We are disappointed that we didn’t get the support when we looked at it and we’re disappointed that others did get support.
“But we’ve got to move on. That’s life.”
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Croke Park's American football plans will depend on the new championship proposals
PLANS TO HOLD future American football games at Croke Park will be dependent on the outcome of the upcoming vote on new proposals for the All-Ireland senior football championship.
The GAA Congress on 25-26 February will debate the proposed revamp of the football championship structure.
If the motion is passed, it will create more games in Croke Park and that would determine the availability of the stadium to host other sports like American football.
Croke Park hosted the college football game in August 2014 between Penn State and University of Central Florida.
“I think we’ve gone through that cycle and before we look at anything I think we have to look at the result of Congress on Páraic’s proposals,” said Peter McKenna, the GAA’s Commercial Manager and Croke Park Stadium Director.
“If they’re accepted, that’s going to change our calendar a lot. At the moment we’re not looking in that space.”
McKenna revealed that they have not abandoned their ambition of hosting an NFL game in the stadium and pointed to the successful staging of games in London.
“(It’s) not just Wembley, you can see Tottenham are lining themselves up to take American football games and I think two or three have gone to Twickenham.
“London have really seen the value of bringing an NFL franchise to the city and what it does in terms of hotels and so on.
“There’s so much that happens in a big city like London, it just fades into the ether as it were whereas Dublin is far more suited to that.
“But for us to go hell for leather after it we need to know what our calendar is going to be like for the next three, four years.
“American football or boxing is seen as a sport. (It) doesn’t eat into our restrictions (in staging events like concerts).”
The association have also sought to ‘move on’ from the disappointment of losing out to the Aviva Stadium in the bidding to stage last September’s college football game between Boston College and Georgia Tech.
GAA Director-General Páraic Duffy was critical of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport at the time, claiming they were made ‘to look foolish’.
“We made our point at the time,” said McKenna.
“We are disappointed that we didn’t get the support when we looked at it and we’re disappointed that others did get support.
“But we’ve got to move on. That’s life.”
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