Change in rules rests with GAA congress

Any possibility of Croke Park being used for other sports, including the intended once-off request by the Government in relation to the bid for the 2008 European soccer championships, will require a change of rule or policy that can be made only at GAA congress, representative of all 32 counties and units abroad, according to the association.

The GAA president, Mr Sean McCague, yesterday reiterated this stance in response to the Government decision on Stadium Ireland. According to Mr McCague, the congress is the only body which has the authority to change the relevant rule - 42 - which prohibits other sports being played on GAA property.

In his statement, Mr McCague stressed that he could not understand how a joint Irish-Scottish bid could be made for a major soccer tournament without the necessary facilities available to accommodate it. "The GAA had pointed this out to the Government representatives on a regular basis in recent months," he said.

Last month, for example, Mr McCague had put on record that "he considered the decision to include Croke Park as part of the Irish bid for the Euro 2008 soccer tournament to be flawed on the basis that no commitment can be given that Croke Park will be available for the tournament, and the fact that the FAI are on the record as considering the stadium unsuitable for soccer games because of scale and associated atmosphere."

At the time, he also said the bid process was initiated and in the public arena without any consultation with the GAA and the solution to any problems that might arise lay solely with those who initiated the bid and supported it.

"If the bid was proceeded with on the tenuous basis that Croke Park would be available," he said, "there could be serious disappointment and embarrassment for the FAI and the supporters of the bid at a later stage."

He also said the joint Irish-Scottish bid to host the 2008 European championships proceeded when the current status of the Exchequer finances should have been well known.

Rule 42 has come up for review at the last two GAA's congresses, and in both instances failed to gain the necessary support for amendment.

Two years ago, the proposal to amend the rule and open Croke Park to other sports was narrowly rejected - on the eve of that vote the Government announced a £60 million grant towards the redevelopment of the stadium.

At the last congress in April, a similar proposal to amend Rule 42 was more heavily rejected - 197 votes to 106.