Contractors removed the playing surface on Croke Park earlier today ahead of the Take That concerts on the 18 and 19 June.

The surface will be replaced in time for the Leinster semi-finals seven days later when Croke Park host a double header as Dublin play Kildare and the other semi-final, between Carlow or Louth and Westmeath or Wexford, takes place.

GAA officials are confident that the new surface, which will have to be installed in a seven day window, will pose no problems.

The while pitch and sand base was removed in 2009 after a U2 concert and there were a number of complaints at the time about the new surface, but the GAA believe those issues will not occur on this occasion.

"It's not anything like we had to do for the U2 concert, when we did a massive job, this is just taking off the top layer," GAA President Christy Cooney said today.

"We would be doing it anyway at the end of the year, it would be a normal process for us to re-lay the pitch.

"Time constraints aren't an issue for us at this time. We have two weeks to get the surface and we will put it back on. It is not an issue. It's fine. It is normal process now that we would put in place." Tweet

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