GAA to debate opening Croke Park to other sports
The GAA is set to debate the opening of Croke Park to other sports at its annual congress in April, it emerged today.
Eleven counties – among them Roscommon, Clare, Cavan, Offaly, Kerry, Galway, Dublin and Laois – re-submitted motions on Rule 42, which states that Croke Park and other GAA-owned grounds can only be used for GAA activities.
The GAA confirmed today that a majority of the re-submitted motions had been approved.
“The sponsors of individual motions will be formally notified of decisions and in accordance with practice and protocol there will be no further official comment on the motions until Congress,” it said in a statement.
The GAA’s motions committee is made up of GAA Director-General Liam Mulvihill, current GAA president Sean Kelly, who has publicly supported the campaign to debate Rule 42, and 10 ex-presidents, many of whom have opposed the notion of opening Croke Park to other sports.
GAA President Sean Kelly said the passing of the motions was ‘a clear vindication’ of the decision of last year’s GAA Special Congress to introduce a more flexible process in dealing with motions.
The committee was severely criticised last year when it ruled that all motions submitted on Rule 42 were out of order.
Mr Kelly said the members of the motions committee had always acted in accordance with GAA rules and their defined mandate in a scenario where they did not have the luxury of an a la carte approach.
He added that it was “unfortunate and unacceptable” that the honour and integrity of these men had on occasion been questioned and impugned.
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