Peter McKenna, a representative of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), states that there have been no recent discussions with promoter Eddie Hearn regarding a potential boxing event at Croke Park. McKenna clarifies that while Hearn had previously expressed interest, scheduling conflicts and security costs have presented significant obstacles.
Peter McKenna says he hasn’t been in contact with promoter Eddie Hearn since October 2023Asked about the prospect at the launch of the GAA ’s annual reports on Thursday, McKenna said, “no” despite apparent optimism on the part of promoter Eddie Hearn.
“Being honest, Eddie hasn’t been in touch with us. The last time I talked to Matchroom was, I’d say, probably October 2023.“It’s trying to find out where would be the slot. I think the difficulty there is that what’s the style of the event? And what time of the year it would be on? We have Oasis and Robbie Williams, so the calendar, really there’s not a lot of space to say, ‘Yeah, I could fit it in on that weekend’, or whatever.”Hearn had previously criticised the cost of security at Croke Park, saying it was higher than Wembley and other stadiums, noting it as the chief obstacle to doing business with the GAA. Peter McKenna speaking at the launch of the GAA's annual reports on Thursday. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho“Our rent was coming in around €400,000; I think the rent for Wembley is about £250,000/300,000. The real issue here is about security costs that which we felt the promoter should carry and having gone through this with statutory services and our own team. We looked at the risk analysis on the event and we felt that the amount of security that you’d need would be at the top level and that is not inexpensive. “So we, and I think everyone in the event industry based in Ireland, would pride ourselves on the fact that we run very, very safe events and if that costs then that’s a cost that we have to do. The eyes of the world are on us for these types of events and we’re not going to change our position on that.”“I don’t think it is. The approach seems to be megaphone diplomacy, throw everything at it and something will happen in that sense. Katie Taylor is a magnificent athlete and I think everyone is very, very proud of what she’s achieved as an athlete. “But to fill Croke Park with 80,000, you need an undercard, you need a whole razzmatazz to go with it. Those things can’t be done in a short period of time. Even getting an event management plan together, getting the city council to approve it and so on, there’d be a fair bit of work in that. “So, I think it’s a kite flyer rather than a genuine ... I can’t see it happening because we haven’t heard about it, bar reading in the papers.” Katie Taylor is world super-lightweight champion, having defeated Amanda Serrano in a rematch in Texas last November. Talks on staging a third fight between the pair are ongoing.Trump says Israel would hand Gaza over to US after fightingLATEST STORIESLatest news from the world of sport, along with the best in opinion from our outstanding team of sports writers
Please follow us on Google to support us BOXING GAA CROKE PARK SECURITY COSTS SCHEDULING
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Con O’Callaghan inspires Cuala to reach Croke Park deciderCouple of late points from the boot of the Dublin colossus fends off Coolera/Strandhill fightback
Read more »
Errigal's breakthrough, Canavan scoring magic, Cuala march on to Croke ParkThe Tyrone and Dublin champions will face off in next Sunday’s decider.
Read more »
Katie Taylor Still Dreams of Croke Park FightIrish boxing superstar Katie Taylor has revealed that her dream of fighting at Croke Park remains alive. The undisputed super lightweight world champion says she is not finished in the professional boxing world and that a fight at Ireland's iconic stadium is her ultimate goal.
Read more »
GAA President will not withdraw email to Naas GAA over Rory Gallagher appointmentThe latest sports news from The42.ie in 60 seconds
Read more »
Croke Park give Derry City green light to use state of the art training facilityDerry City are hoping to build their own training base but will use Derry GAA's for the foreseeable future
Read more »
Katie Taylor Fight at Croke Park 'Highly Unlikely' This Year, Says GAA ChiefPeter McKenna, the CEO of Croke Park, has cast doubt on the possibility of a Katie Taylor boxing match at the iconic stadium this year. He stated that promoter Eddie Hearn, who represents Taylor, hasn't contacted him about the proposed event. McKenna believes Hearn's public statements about the fight are more of a 'megaphone diplomacy' tactic than a concrete plan. He also highlighted the logistical challenges and time constraints involved in organizing such a large-scale event.
Read more »