Rule 42 Finally Being Discussed by Gaelic Authorities
By Aidan Begley

The magnificent Croke Park

Under the current GAA legislation, the only sports that can be played at Croke are Gaelic Football and Hurling. Rule 42 is the controversial law, written by the GAA which has so far seen a complete ban on people participating in other sports at the Dublin stadium.

Confirming the fact that the issue will be addressed, the GAA said in a statement that: “A majority of resubmitted motions in regard to Rule 42 of the Association’s Official Guide (use of Croke Park by other Sports) will be on the Association’s Congress agenda on 15/16 April.”

Until now, it had looked like this rule would never be addressed. However with the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road later on in 2005, this issue has been brought to the forefront of the GAA agenda, as the regeneration of the ageing stadium will effectively see the Irish national teams of Football and Rugby Union homeless.

Officials at the FAI and IRB have been trying to force the Rule 42 issue since the rebuilding of Landsdowne was confirmed, particularly after the now defunct Eircom Stadium was assigned to the scrap heap, meaning the GAA has been under increased pressure to discuss the rule, and for Football and Rugby Union officials to hopefully ultimately amend it.

If the law is not modified by the GAA congress, this will then mean that Brian Kerr and Eddie O’Sullivan will need to find new homes for their respective teams for the foreseeable future. If this was the case, the most likely venues would be located over the Irish Sea, with the Millennium Stadium, Celtic Park, Murrayfield and Old Trafford amongst the potential stadiums that could be used.

This possibility of the national teams playing outside of Ireland, seems to have forced the hand of many people within the GAA to make sure that the matter is at least discussed and not ignored again, as it was done in 2004.

A number of counties backed the motion to bring the issue to the table. So far Donegal, Meath, Tipperary, Cavan, Dublin, Kerry, Wicklow and Sligo have all given the thumbs-up for the Rule 42 issue to be discussed, however, there are a lot of counties who are still to commit to the controversial rule change.

GAA President, Sean Kelly, believes that the mere discussion of such a controversial topic is testament to the progression the GAA is taking in recent years. “This announcement is a clear vindication of the decision of last years Special Congress to introduce a more flexible process in dealing with motions.
“The decision taken by the Motions Committee is a manifestation of the members’ integrity, impartiality and objectivity,” said Mr Kelly.

It is possible that the underlying feeling within a number of powerful people at the GAA is that they don’t want “foreign” sports played at Croke Park, underlying the National and International identity that Gaelic Football, Hurling and Croker itself has. And also if they open it up to one sport, then they all will want to ply their trade at the HQ.

While this feeling may not necessarily represent a lot of younger members of the GAA, some of the old guard may still have these beliefs that Croke Park is for Irish sports and nobody else.
While protecting the national identity can be seen as a matter of urgency, the possibility of a cash windfall for the GAA may well sway the vote, as the stadium would not remain dormant for the vast majority of the year as it would be generating a lot of extra income.

If the rule is amended and the Central Council allow sports like Football to play at Croke Park, this could then mean that the vital World Cup 2006 qualifiers against France and Switzerland may be hastily switched in order to accommodate the huge demand from the public to watch these games.

Both fixtures have already sold out, and have been so for some while. However, a move across Dublin to Croke Park would see an extra 40,000 seats available, which would see the stadium rival such venues as the Stade de France and Bernabou in terms of capacity and luckily for the GAA; gate receipts.

Whatever happens at the meeting, what is decided by the members of the GAA is bound to have a knock on effect as to what happens to where the Irish international teams of Football and Rugby Union will play during the next few years. And more importantly if the GAA is going to break a tradition, which some felt would never change in their lifetime.