I think GAA HQ are getting off very lightly in the discussion around this in terms of their responsibility to ensure the long term sustainability and effective management and use of the stadium. In fact, the overall principle of how the burden and responsibilities for stadiums, especially in bigger counties, fall on County Boards requires a total overhaul.
The largest and by far wealthiest, County unit in the GAA benefits for having a home stadium being owned and managed by the GAA itself. It can pay the rent, and make a major profit from attendances. It has never needed to consider to need to build a significant stadium to ensure it can cater for crowds at their biggest home games. Absolutely no liability or risk, yet massive benefits.
Contrast that with the position of the next biggest unit, Cork, where a stadium of a reasonably significant size was required given the population of the County. The one we had was falling apart and something needed to happen. Unlike Counties in and around Dublin, or even say Clare where most of the population is within handy distance of the Gaelic Grounds, we're too far from other major grounds.
We could go on all day about the rights and (mainly) wrongs about the project we went ahead with, how Frank and Bob managed it, or how O'Donovan has managed it since. But it's the GAA itself should always have been leading on this, and they should be now too. It should be a stadium under the ownership and management of the GAA, with Cork using it the same way Dublin use Croke Park.
Dublin GAA's CEO isn't going around worrying about getting some global artists to play in an awkward size stadium, or begging provincial councils or the GAA to fix a few matches for their stadium to help pay the overheads. Ours shouldn't be bogged down in that position either.
It's similar to what's happening with Casement. The GAA have been totally hands off on that, instead of taking the ownership they should do on it and delivering a proper home for Ulster GAA. That, and PUC, should be under GAA ownership and management the same way as Croke Park.
What happens in years to come with Semple Stadium when it starts requiring major investment? Does that start falling on Tipperary GAA to manage the refurbishment and upkeep of a modern 50K stadium?
To be honest, as a County, I would like us to be much more forceful about this, and less fucking apologetic.
The support that Cork GAA is bringing to matches is making an enormous contribution to the GAA's profits, nevermind what cash we've thrown at GAA+. Yet any attempt to fix matches in PUC is made out to be alms for the poor.
Events we have had at PUC, including the major matches, have been fantastic for the City. I'm pretty sure a financial analysis would show the €30 million in public monies has washed itself.
Cork GAA could hand back the keys of PUC to Bank of Ireland in the morning. Yet, whoever takes it on will be almost fully reliant on Cork GAA playing games there as it's the only reliable show in town. Rugby has turned its back on Cork, the FAI are only happy to send the women down the odd time. And the GAA itself is afraid of the bitching and moaning from other Counties to fix any matches there.
So let Croke Park deal with it, and give us the same benefits they're happy to give the Dubs. They can start fixing Donegal matches there and drive Jimmy demented while they're at it.
