CLUB FINALS: STADIUM DIRECTOR Peter McKenna has defended the decision not to allow training sessions for clubs in advance of next month's All-Ireland finals, pointing out that the restriction was part of a wide-ranging set of recommendations accepted by the GAA's Management Committee.

His response comes in the wake of criticism that international teams in other sports are getting better access to the pitch than football and hurling sides.

"The pitch came in for a lot of criticism in 2006," he said, "and we asked in consultants to look at the whole process and recommend a regime of agronomy.

"They came up with a series of proposals, including giving the surface a lot more time for recovery. These findings were presented to management and endorsed.

"One of those proposals was that there shouldn't be training sessions as a matter of form. We've introduced restrictions for rugby and soccer, although we're obliged under the terms of the Six Nations in rugby to allow teams train, and we have adhered to those very strict guidelines, but have cut it to the very minimum of one session each per team, whereas normally there'd be two sessions and a captain's run-out."

In relation to the grievances of the four clubs who will be playing for All-Ireland titles on St Patrick's Day, McKenna says he has sympathy for their situation.

"This wasn't an issue last year, but I can understand guys saying, 'it's our first time up here', and we allow acclimatisation visits when teams can walk around and see the dressingrooms and get a sense of the pitch dimensions.

"I know people are unhappy, but there would have to be four training sessions if we allowed it and I would hope that everyone will see the long-term wisdom of what we're doing."

The regime introduced last year ensured that the surface performed particularly well during the summer's championship when, on occasions, five or six matches were played in one weekend. But McKenna disputes the suggestion the venue is more of a summer pitch.

"I would take issue with that. At the moment, compared to Twickenham, the Millennium Stadium and Murrayfield, Croke Park is head and shoulders above them in performance characteristics.

"It recovers well. We replace the big divots on the evening of the match and then let the ground rest before coming in with a big crew on the Monday to tidy up."

The pitch will be rested from St Patrick's Day until the championship starts in the summer, in order to get it into optimum shape for a busy period that is scheduled to include nine matches over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

McKenna says this rest is in line with the maintenance recommendations and uninfluenced by the impact of the soccer and rugby matches earlier in the year.

"They've had very little impact on the surface because their pitches are configured in the centre of our pitch, and it's the areas that are around the edges that are most susceptible to wear."