How am I disputing the figures?
You are wrong abou the JP figures I posted.
I simply pointed out some realities.
Tough for dinosaurs to understand.
Was out for a stroll after watching the hurling along the promenade in one of the great beach cities of the world and wandered in to one of the great sporting cathedrals of the world, St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground, Swansea. Terrible that a great old beachfront ground like that has been supplanted by the Liberty Stadium, a soulless looking structure on a roundabout on the outskirts of the city.
You gave a figure of €191m of public money for 50000 capacity Aviva and €110m of public money for 82000 capacity Croke Park, either you are providing incorrect figures or these are facts. Add €30m for 45000 capacity PUC and you can see the incredible value the GAA provide for taxpayer money compared to IRFU/FAI. In terms of the quality of stadium, most Irish rugby fans and players of that time will refer to games played in Croke Park as their greatest moment with the Irish rugby team. Playing in the Aviva with a capacity smaller than the attendance for a Saturday evening hurling game in July just doesn’t compare no matter how the upset might try to denigrate the Drumcondra stadium with jibes of such wit they could have been mistaken for been coined by English football fans.
I was at every one of the international rugby matches played in Croke Park. The only one that had any bit of atmosphere at it was the England game in 2007 and that was a bit contrived after the hype and build up. The pitch in Croke Park was simply too big for rugby (and soccer) and was a real atmosphere killer. The rugby community couldn’t get back to Lansdowne Road quickly enough.
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