DUBLIN FOOTBALLER PAUL Mannion says he believes the GAA is “missing a trick” by hosting too many games in Croke Park but doesn’t want to see the stadium go underused either.
A crowd of just 23,113 turned out for their exciting Leinster final against Louth where Dessie Farrell’s side eventually shook off their challengers to win their 14th title in-a-row.
Questions have been raised about the poor attendance numbers at GAA headquarters for the Leinster championship games, with just 21,445 turning up for the quarter-final between Dublin and Meath. The Louth/Kildare and Dublin/Offaly semi-final double-header drew a crowd of 21,957.
Mannion says he would like to move the provincial championship games to other venues, but cautions that Croke Park should also not be abandoned for high-stakes games.
“I’d love to play games outside Croke Park and we’ve had a few over the last few years. The first round of the championship has mostly been outside Croke Park, and it’s been a brilliant atmosphere. Dublin supporters love getting on the road and travelling.
“We’re probably missing a trick having every game there when they mightn’t need to be. I’d love to have some of our home league games in Parnell Park which would be a brilliant atmosphere. We have this massive amazing stadium in Croke Park as well and we don’t want it sitting there idle there either for months on end.
“So, I can understand the dilemma. A conversation needs to be had about how best to use Croke Park and create exciting atmospheres at our games. Would it be better served taking certain games outside Croke Park, and make Croke Park more of a novelty factor for teams and supporters?”
Mannion believes that yesterday’s match was probably the toughest Leinster final he has ever experienced with Dublin. Trailing by one point at half-time, they needed a big second-half effort to avoid a shock defeat and retain their crown. Mannion said he was pleased with his side’s response to the challenge posed by Louth as they now prepare for the All-Ireland series.
Drawn into Group 2, Dublin will face Mayo, Roscommon and Cavan when the competition gets underway later this month. Mannion supports the split season structure although he admits that some further “tweaking”.
On the subject of provincial championships, he accepts that tradition and rivalries between counties are important but suspects that they “wouldn’t make sense” if the GAA was founded today.
He also suggests there should be a rethink around the rule that three teams will qualify out of each group in the All-Ireland series.
“It’s difficult to take it [provincials] away entirely. Is it fair that finalists in all provinces get a spot in the Sam Maguire? That’s something the jury’s still out on and I don’t have the perfect answer.
“I fully acknowledge that I’m just another eejit with an opinion but I saw someone recently suggest that the provincial championships should be run alongside the league or parts of the championship. We seem to think everything needs to run sequentially, and you don’t see that in other sports. They run competitions side by side, so I think that could be an option.
“The format of the group stages are a good thing, building the Sam Maguire cup around the top 16 teams. The Tailteann Cup is brilliant as well. But how many teams progress from the group is probably subject to debate and change. I don’t have a perfect answer but it’s in there somewhere.”
Paul Mannion was speaking at SuperValu’s #CommunityIncludesEveryone campaign.
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