Throw open the doors at Croker

A forum to air your views on Offaly GAA matters and beyond.
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Should it be opened up?

Yes
9
82%
No
2
18%
 
Total votes: 11

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ballymanabroad
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Throw open the doors at Croker

Post by ballymanabroad »

So Offaly voted unanimously in favour of opening up Croker for Rugby and Soccer. The vote is going to be close. Once a load of delegates don´t get the runs and have to leave for the toilet together. :wink:
http://www.rte.ie/sport/2005/0406/crokepark.html
It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe - Muhammad Ali

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Lone Shark
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Post by Lone Shark »

It's a landslide.

Don't mind Congress, get it open now.

Hyper
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Open It Up

Post by Hyper »

Yes

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ballymanabroad
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Post by ballymanabroad »

THE balance of power to change the rules governing the use of Croke Park now rests with the GAA's exiles.

In a dramatic shift on Monday night, Meath, Waterford and Donegal all voted to relax the rule while Lansdowne Road is being redeveloped.

And Kildare and Offaly last night also opted to support the Wicklow motion for temporary change.

It effectively means that almost two-thirds of the 32 counties in Ireland will opt to facilitate rugby and soccer in Croke Park if the venue is sought during the period of redevelopment.

More significantly, it pushes the vote up to the two-thirds majority that will be required to change the rule at the GAA's Annual Congress next week.

An Irish Independent tally of the counties that have already decided what way their votes are going - and of those counties who have yet to decide - concludes that just over two-thirds of the delegates will vote in favour of temporary change.

The tally puts the votes for change at 229, with 107 against. With an estimated total electorate of 336, the figure required for a two-thirds majority is 224 votes, so the 'yes' camp would have just five votes to spare.

However, that conclusion is based on all 30 votes from Britain supporting change.

There are other considerations too. Every county and unit may not have full representation, while some Central Council delegates may feel that they don't have to mirror their county's vote.

Amazingly, Britain has almost as many votes as the province of Connacht and when the overseas vote is combined (Europe, New York, North America, Canada and Australia) they have a voting bloc of 56.

It is these votes that will decide if Croke Park will remain closed to other international sports.

The British vote was missing in 2001 because of the foot-and-mouth epidemic when the Roscommon motion to relax Rule 42 and transfer authority to the Central Council was beaten by less than one vote.

If the British delegates were present, it is certain that Rule 42 would have been changed at that time.

Many will see it as a touch of irony that overseas delegates will be the power brokers as to whether international rugby and soccer can be played in Croke Park if a request from the relevant organisations is made.

Many overseas units depend on soccer, rugby and cricket pitches themselves to play Gaelic games and as one British county secretary put it yesterday, it would be a case of "stabbing ourselves in the back" if they didn't vote in favour.

Many counties in Ireland still have to decide which way they will vote, but the indications are that all 97 votes in Leinster will favour change.

Offaly, who sponsored a motion for change that didn't get on to the Congress clár, decided at last night's county board meeting in Tullamore to support Wicklow's proposal to suspend Rule 42 during the closure of Lansdowne Road. Such was the unanimity of opinion, they didn't even feel it necessary to put the issue to a vote.

In Kildare, the proposal was put to a vote last night and won by a clear 57-9 margin after a secret ballot. The Kildare result is significant as it was one of the counties whose vote was split in 2001.

Louth and Westmeath will vote next week. The overwhelming 53-7 vote in favour of temporary change in Meath is seen as an indication that Louth and Westmeath will follow suit.

Galway also voted heavily in favour (90-20) of providing accommodation to soccer and rugby during the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road. However, they remain opposed to a permanent change to Rule 42.

Most of Connacht is expected to vote 'yes', while Waterford's change of heart means that only Cork's 11 votes in Munster will oppose the opening of Croke Park.

Limerick clubs will vote next week, and the mood in the county appears to be running with the groundswell of opinion favouring temporary change.

The Ulster counties are still the most opposed to change. The Donegal and Cavan county boards have decided to support motions for temporary change, but Monaghan (29-18) and Fermanagh (29-23) have opted to retain the status quo.

Monday night represented a huge swing to the proponents for change as they gained 11 Meath votes, 10 from Galway, seven from Donegal and a further seven from Waterford.

But unless substantially more than half the 56 overseas votes join them, Croke Park will remain closed.

The Irish Independent tally figures that nine of the 10 past presidents will vote against changing the rule and it also splits the Management Committee (11 votes) and schools/colleges and handball (five votes).

The views of the American delegates are particularly hard to gauge, but with 18 votes they too are significant power brokers.

If the opinion of Paul Brady, the secretary of the Lancashire Board and a member of the Oisín club in the district, is anything to gauge by, then the British vote will favour change.

Lancashire are due vote on Monday night next, but as Brady pointed out yesterday the Oisín club use a soccer and rugby grounds to play Gaelic games.

"For the Oisín club to turn round and go against it, we would only be stabbing ourselves in the back," he said yesterday. "But that's only our club's feeling on it. We don't know what way the other clubs will go. We will debate it."

Colm Keys





Leinster
In favour: Dublin 11, Meath 11, Wexford 11, Laois 10, Offaly 10, Kildare 9, Wicklow 8, Longford 6, Kilkenny 5, Carlow 5

To decide: Louth 6 (next Monday), Westmeath 6 (next week)

Prediction: 98 for, 0 against


Ulster
In favour: Donegal 7, Cavan 7

Against: Antrim 11, Tyrone 8, Derry 7, Fermanagh 6, Monaghan 6

To decide: Down 8, Armagh 7

Prediction: 14 for, 53 against


Munster
In favour: Waterford 7, Kerry 8, Tipperary 9, Clare 10

Against: Cork 11

To decide: Limerick 11 (next week)

Prediction: 45 for, 11 against


Connacht
In favour: Galway 10, Sligo 6, Roscommon 6, Leitrim 5

Against: Mayo (six votes) initially decided against changing Rule 42 but have given their delegates the facility to decide on the day

Prediction: 27 for, 6 against


Schools/Colleges /Handball
Difficult to assess where votes will go.

Prediction: 3 for, 2 against


Past Presidents
Ten past presidents can vote. Eight, possibly nine, will vote against

Prediction: 1 for, 9 against


Management Committee
The 11 members of Management include the four provincial chairmen of whom three would be in favour

Prediction: 5 for, 6 against


Overseas
North American Board 8, New York 6, Canada 4, Australia 4, Europe 4. London 5, Britain 30 (Lancashire 5, Yorkshire 4, Warwickshire 4, Scotland 4, Hertsfordshire 4, Gloucestershire 4). Total: 56 votes

* All 56 overseas delegates are unlikely to travel. The American Boards could oppose changing Rule 42, but Britain and Europe are more likely to favour change

Prediction: 36 for, 20 against


TOTAL For 229 Against 107
* The voting strength of a county is dependent on the number of registered clubs. One delegate is appointed for every 10 clubs in the county, subject to a maximum of 10 delegates and a minimum of four. In addition, each county board is also entitled to send their central council delegate

* Some Central Council delegates may not vote the same way as their counties
It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe - Muhammad Ali

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