This month’s Leinster SFC semi-finals have been moved out of Croke Park.

It will be the first time in 30 years that both provincial semi-finals will not be played at GAA HQ.  Leinster GAA is expected to fix two standalone fixtures for provincial venues instead. It comes after last year’s semi-final double-header at Croke Park drew a crowd of just over 21,000.

"We looked at the last number of semi-finals and the emptiness of the Croke Park stadium," Leinster GAA chairman Derek Kent explained to RTÉ.

"There was less of an atmosphere and teams were travelling to be there, so we took the decision as a council to move to provincial grounds.

"We are all aware of how good the provincial grounds are. My own preference is for a single, standalone fixture for both semi-finals. With the capacity of our provincial grounds, a single game should fill that,” added the Wexford man, who stressed that the disappointing attendances for last weekend’s Allianz Football League finals weren’t a factor in the decision.

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