Brian Barry
GAA Editor @BrianGBarry
Euro 2028: GAA 'happy to explore' making stadia available for UK and Ireland's bid to host European Championships
GAA open to discussing making stadia such as Croke Park available to the UK and Ireland's Euro 2028 bid; "If the FAI want to take things to the next level with us in terms of talking about what it might look like, we'd be happy to do that," says GAA director general Tom Ryan.
Last Updated: 11/02/22 7:00pm
The GAA is "happy to explore" the possibility of its stadia being included in the UK and Ireland's bid to host Euro 2028.
Although the stadia involved in the bid have not yet been decided upon, it is believed that the FAI and IFA could seek the use of GAA grounds Croke Park and Casement Park respectively.
Croke Park in Dublin, with a capacity of 82,300, is the biggest stadium on the island of Ireland. Casement Park has not yet been redeveloped, but it is envisaged that the Belfast venue will be a 34,578-capacity all-seater stadium.
The GAA has lent its stadia to similar ventures in the past, with eight of the 12 grounds involved in Ireland's unsuccessful bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup owned by the GAA.
And Tom Ryan, the GAA's director general, revealed that the FAI included Croke Park in a recent feasibility study for the original 2030 World Cup bid.
"We spoke to the FAI in the context of a 2030 bid. They did ask if we were happy with the idea that Croke Park was included in a feasibility study at the time. We took it to the board and made sure people were happy with that," Ryan outlined on Thursday.
"There were meetings and people did visit the ground to have a look and do what they needed to appraise at that stage. That's really where it is to be honest. That was in the context of 2030 rather than 2028. The same principles will apply.
"There is a process for us to go through in terms of formal permissions and I don't want to pre-empt any of that, [GAA] Central Council will have its say there. We were aware of the ambitions and we certainly flagged from the outside that we'd be happy to explore the initial stages of those ambitions."
If the FAI want to take things to the next level with us in terms of talking about what it might look like, we'd be happy to do that.
Tom Ryan
The European Championships would likely be taking place at the same time of year as the business end of the GAA's intercounty season.
"If the FAI want to take things to the next level with us in terms of talking about what it might look like, we'd be happy to do that," Ryan continued.
"I don't know when those games might be on, I don't know the shape of the tournament. Really that's all I can say about it at this remove, if there's something that we can do to advance the thing to the next stage without looking to pre-empt what the eventual outcome will be, we'd be happy to explore that with them."
UEFA timetable over Euro 2028 host proposals
- 23 March 2022 - Deadline for national associations to confirm their interest to bid
- 30 March 2022 - Bid requirements are made available to the bidders
- 5 April 2022 - Announcement of bidders by UEFA
- 12 April 2023 - Final bid dossier submission deadline
- September 2023 - Appointment of host(s) of UEFA EURO 2028
The five FAs in Ireland and the UK announced on Monday their intention to drop their bid for the 2030 World Cup, and to instead focus on the European Championships in six years' time.
