GAA defend venue.Byline: By Orla Bannon NICKEY Brennan Nickey Brennan (born 3 December, 1953) is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Conahy Shamrocks and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team in the 1970s. Brennan is currently the President of the Gaelic Athletic Association. has defended the GAA decision not to stage the Allianz league finals in Croke Park Croke Park (Irish: Páirc an Chrócaigh) in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports stadium in Ireland and the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), Ireland's biggest sporting organisation. . The President revealed he was surprised by the criticism from the participating counties in the build-up to Sunday's football finals as the call had been made months in advance. In order to allow new grass to grow on the pitch at HQ, the GAA announced some time ago that the venue would be closed from the All-Ireland club finals on St Patrick's Day until the Leinster football Championship doubleheader on May 18. "We actually checked with STRI STRI Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute STRI Sports Turf Research Institute STRI Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (US Army) STRI Stones River National Battlefield (US National Park Service) (pitch experts) and they said it just wasn't ready to be used," stated Brennan yesterday. "Being realistic about it, with the combination of teams in the final I think we were proven right in going to a smaller venue. "Derry were going to be a certain crowd and Kerry were always going to bring a small crowd. "For Fermanagh and Wexford, Parnell Park was a logical half-way house venue anyway so I think we got the venue right." |
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