THE National Football League finals this weekend will give thousands of people the chance to witness Croke Park when it's at its busiest, but five lucky schools now have the opportunity for a much more intimate look at the home of the GAA.
Thanks to The Irish News, five primary schools will get a VIP tour of the stadium and an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what makes Croke Park such an important landmark in Irish sport. As an added bonus, the lucky schoolchildren will be accompanied by a man who knows his way around the stadium, Monaghan captain Conor McManus.
To be one of the schools heading to Dublin, all you have to do is collect tokens that will be appearing in The Irish News over the coming weeks. The winners will be able to bring a class of up to 30 people on the trip, with the visits taking place on Monday, June 20 and Tuesday, June 21. Coach transfers and lunch in the Croke Park Hotel is also included in the prize. Each class gets to experience the stadium tour, time in the dressing and warm-up area before finishing off the tour in the revamped museum.
"Visiting Croke Park on a non-game day really allows you to experience something really special as the tour takes in different aspects of the stadium - the presentation area of the cup to the winning teams, pitch side as well as the heights of the media centre, " said Irish News marketing manager John Brolly.
"The highlight is experiencing the changing rooms and warm-up area that the teams prepare in before they take to the pitch for their all important game at GAA HQ."
Irish News sports editor Thomas Hawkins believes it will be a trip that will live long in the memory for those who are lucky enough to win: "Over the last number of years, The Irish News has been helping primary schools experience something that they will never forget," he said.
"Croke Park is a symbol that is known throughout Ireland and afar and to get an inside look of what goes on inside the stadium is very special indeed. Not only will it be a chance to look around the 82,300 capacity stadium, but the museum tour is another brilliant part of the day.
"It's a chance to learn about the legends of the past and the stars of today, while the interactive game zone is always a popular stop-off point on the trip."
Schools will need to collect 25 tokens in all, which will appear in The Irish News between April 19 and May 28. They will then need to attach them to the collector card, which can be downloaded and printed from www.irishnews.com/crokeparktrip.
Entries must be received by midday on Friday, June 10.
