The GAA cannot expect further Government funding for Croke Park this side of a general election. This is the view of one of the central personalities in the redevelopment of Croke Park.

Peter Quinn, former president and a key influence on the financing of the redevelopment, was speaking about the current state of the project as controversy attends the two other stadium projects being undertaken by the FAI and the Government.

Currently chairman of the GAA's project management committee which monitors the ongoing development of Croke Park, Quinn said he believed the Government had limited room for political manoeuvre.

"I would love for us to receive further support," he said. "But, looking at it, one of the issues you have to consider is what is politically advantageous and disadvantageous.

"The Government took a lot of stick over the last grant. I don't think the GAA should be in the business of embarrassing the Government. We'd have more to lose from that than they would."

Quinn said that he was satisfied that the expenditure on the project was now in hand despite the acknowledged budget overrun from an originally projected £137 million to an estimate now standing at £174 million.

"Of that, £10 million relates to costs at the northern end of the ground (Hill 16) which were not originally budgeted for. The rest is made up of inflation.

"Three years ago, you would have projected inflation at two to three per cent. This year it hit seven and construction inflation exceeded that by a mile. Mostly it's wage inflation in the industry and some material costs.

"It was anticipated that we would have to borrow around £50 million, but the figure will now be higher than that. The impact is that, instead of 10 years, the borrowings will take 15 years to clear.

"I'd prefer if we didn't have to borrow, but I'm satisfied that there's good control on costs now and that there won't be major increases we haven't budgeted for."

The question of how this will affect the association and its games development programmes has been raised recently. Undertakings have been given that current expenditure levels will not be affected, but Quinn concedes that there is a price to be paid.

"Levels of expenditure won't fall and will even increase, but obviously they could increase more. If you have more money, you can do more things with it, spend more on the games."

The work will be largely completed by spring of next year. Completion of the project in its final format may take until 2005.

Commitments have been made to the Special Olympics that Croke Park will be available for the opening ceremony in the summer of 2003 - which will require heavy construction to be finished or suspended for around that period.

Last April, Quinn raised the prospect of Croke Park being leased for other sports, specifically rugby, at the GAA congress in Galway.

He says he is reticent about getting involved in the debate as he is no longer part of the "decision-making structures" and didn't wish to try and influence peoples' opinions. He also said that other sports organisations hadn't asked for the use of Croke Park.

But given that Rule 42 is on the books, bodies such as the FAI and IRFU would hardly be encouraged to make inquiries. "Maybe, but I don't think the GAA would address this issue without others doing so first."

Quinn says that he has one major regret about the redevelopment project. "The biggest single mistake was that we should have moved straight into phases two and three as soon as phase one was complete.

"Construction costs would have been much lower and wages dramatically lower. The building boom hadn't started and the Celtic tiger wasn't having its full effect on the industry.

"We should have proceeded instead of waiting until the Government grant (of £20 million) was announced (December 1997). But that is the wisdom of hindsight and, at the time, I didn't make that case."