DUBLIN GAA marketing official and former county star Tomás Quinn says playing away from Croke Park would have no financial effect on the county.
Quinn rejected the suggestion there is any financial incentive for Dublin to play their Championship games at Croke Park, which they have done since 2006. Dublin’s last Championship match away from the venue was in Longford, whom they face again on Sunday in the provincial quarter-finals.
Quinn said he would favour taking Dublin out of Croke Park for a number of games each summer and believes the players and management would have no issues with it. As for the notion of Dublin gaining monetarily from playing at the Jones’ Road venue, he said it simply wasn’t the case.
“Dublin don’t see a greater commercial benefit from playing in Croke Park or playing in Pearse Park, so, from a county board perspective, there’s absolutely no benefit in it,” said Quinn.
“In terms of trying to market the game, you could argue that more people get to watch at Croke Park but, when you look at the greater good, what it might do for Longford town, for example, this weekend if Dublin were going down there, or if they were going to Tullamore or Portlaoise, that’s benefitting everyone in the province. I do think you have to look at the bigger picture sometimes.”
The two-time All-Ireland Club SFC medallist said the entire Dublin county board is behind a move out of Croke Park.
“Bringing it down the country, I’d be all for it and the county board would be all for it,” he said.
“I think it should happen. I think it’d be the right thing to do. Everyone in Dublin would be happy for it to happen, I don’t think there’s any issue there.
“Fans, players, county board, everyone, they’ll play where they’re told to play. But I think for the good of the game, particularly if the fixtures' structures stay as they are and provincial championships stay in the format they are, I think it’d be in the interest of the provincial championships for it to be same as any other county. They shouldn’t be always in Croke Park.
"I think it’d be better for everyone.”
