27,000 seats will be replaced as part of a multi-million euro overhaul of the Cusack Stand
THE news that the GAA has commenced the €12 million refurbishment of Croke Park’s Cusack Stand will raise eyebrows in some quarters of the Association.
The Cusack Stand spend comes against a backdrop where the GAA have to date declined to invest any more money than their original €17 million commitment to Casement Park. The €17.5 million St. Conleth’s Park project is already well under way and it is anticipated that it will be ready for next year’s county finals.
Meath and Louth both secured funds for stadium works from the now defunct Immigrant Investment Programme . Maybe some of the legacy debt on Pairc Ui Chaoimh, estimated at over €30 million by County Secretary Kevin O’Donovan a year ago, could have been paid off to ease the overheads faced by Cork GAA.A new 25 year financial model to have the Leeside Stadium debt free by 2048 was agreed back in September.And it comes at a time when the GPA are anxious for the GAA to fund the equalisation of expenses for inter-county male and female players.
€12 million could make a big difference here, but it would effectively be money going into a bottomless pit.Others would say that this rationale should be applied to all players. Nonetheless, it could still be upgraded and a couple of million euro would make a huge difference to the people who put their bodies on the line for our entertainment and find themselves injured and out of work