Croker boss seeks soccer/rugby alternatives

February 04, 2009
Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna is actively seeking out events to fill the stadium when soccer and rugby return to Lansdowne Road. The stadium currently nets over 1.3 million euro in rental charges for each home international, but that nice money-spinner will dry up next year when the new Lansdowne Road is finished and soccer and rugby bosses end their tenancy at GAA HQ. McKenna is exploring a number of avenues to make up for the shortfall and maximise the return from the Association's crown jewel during the winter months of October-March: "There is an opportunity for us to look at other activities in the stadium. That's what we are doing. There's no shortage of potential things we can do. "We are just trying to find the ones that are the right fit for the stadium in terms of its size - right for Dublin as a city. "You are looking at Croke Park retaining its position as a great venue to come to. We got a nice bit of time to plan, prepare and see... "We would be positive that by 2010 and 2011 we will have gone through almost a transformation process to see how we can reposition the stadium for other large events, taking into account it's winter time."

Most Read Stories