I wonder when the media is going to tackle the "real" story behind this? "Grand entrance for Croker planned". At every biding of the GAA one side persistently gets presented, latest is in the Irish Times today - completely at odds with the previous manifestation of this story. The reality is juvenile handballers are being deprived of coaches because these coaches are not permitted access to the Handball alley. In the year the World Handball championship is being hosted (in a hotel) in Ireland and in the year the National Feile is being hosted in Dublin, these young boys and girls have no facilities because someone wants a Grande Parade?

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4968 - 06/02/2012 18:27:32    1106844

im not even sure i understand what they mean by grand entrance.I assume they mean for the fans to get into the stadium,but how will this affect the handballers?

TheRoad (Galway) - Posts: 1339 - 06/02/2012 19:40:19    1106906

Grand entrance for Croker planned
06 February 2012
The GAA is hoping to reach an agreement with Dublin City Council to purchase a flat complex that would allow for the development of a "processional entrance" to Croke Park.

If the sale of Croke Villas - which comprises 79 flats, most of which are in a dilapidated state and are no longer lived in - goes through, the GAA plan to demolish the complex to allow for the development of a new grand entrance to the stadium as well as a new handball centre, shops, restaurants and office facilities.

"Croke Villas was, is and continues to remain in an appalling condition, so we decided to see could we conceivably do something to help change that," Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna said in the Irish Times.

The GAA needs the support of Dublin City Council for the project to go ahead

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13846 - 06/02/2012 20:40:38    1106965

arock what's the story? There's some dispute between local residents and Croke Park over the use of a private local handball alley or something? I think this has been raised on the board a few times before.

The plans the GAA have sound good, surely some compromise could be reached to benefit everyone?

Goodfella, Tir (None) - Posts: 1652 - 07/02/2012 09:29:44    1107071

A compromise would be reached if stadium directors did not seem to have an agenda against the local residents

The current handball centre needs to be knocked - nobody disputes that
The new Handball Centre however is not fit for purpose. It is badly designed. It has very few handball courts, for the cost involved. there is are no physio rooms nor is any space for a gym provided. there is no bar for the local residents, handballers and other events to be held there which the current centre has (the bar has kept the place financially viable for years). the main reason for the building seem to be to provide office space for GAA staff on the top floor as well as have a large space for conventions and other events. It is also one of the ugliest buildings you are likely to ever see

valley84 (Westmeath) - Posts: 1931 - 07/02/2012 10:43:49    1107125

Seems a bit needless, Croke Park is fine as it is and is on a par with any stadium in the world you care to mention in my opinion, without a 'processional entrance'

As for the handballers, I freely admit I know little or nothing about handball, but if this plan were to go ahead to the benefit of handballers, it would do so as opposed to what?

What facilities do handballers have as it is? Other than the local clubs? Is there no national handball arena in the country? Please forgive my ignorance on the subject.

gigoer (Wexford) - Posts: 1998 - 07/02/2012 12:15:35    1107201

most of the handball clubs in Dublin use the current handball centre as either they don't have handball alleys in their gaa clubs or they are totally seperate handball clubs. the centre has a bar, used by locals, but used by handball clubs too for a drink or social functions. lots of functions are held in the bar - anniversaries, parties etc other local clubs used the space in the current building - martial arts. youth dance clubs, pool and darts clubs.

as for handball? handballers would get a new, badly designed handball facility - both internally and externally

for €8 million. it is crazy

a lot of handballers are opposed to the facility as it is not worth the money and needs to be redesigned.
the top brass are trying to force it through as they just want a new centre, whether getting a good deal or not.

A giant exhibition/conference space on the bottom floor (with removable exhibition handball court)
The upper floors are mainly going to serve as extra office space for the GAA.

So most of the space has nothing to do with handball.

valley84 (Westmeath) - Posts: 1931 - 07/02/2012 12:59:38    1107232

In fairness to a lot of people involved there are legal issues which wouldn't be appropriate to bring up here. But the Irish times ran an article and basically said the only opposition was from local residents over the loss of a drinking license. There was a lovely timeline and not one handball issue was mentioned.
Some handballers in there are very upset, in all the journalistic presentations there is no mention of the fact that Juveniles (and adult handballers) - all GAA members and coached by GAA members train and play in that handball alley. They wouldn't train in there if there was alternatives which there isn't, some travel across the city to train in there, some are local kids. All I am saying is that a lot of dublinkids in the Feile year will have nowhere to train/play, bearing in mind Dublin is supposed to be hosting the Feile! The GAA could and should sort this out by simply upgrading the local club facilites to accomodate these kids, that is if they are serious about handball. This side of the argument is never ever presented, except to remind us if we didn't oppose it we would have had a state of the art handball alley by now. The sad reality is very few people believe when that alley is demolished that one will be built in its place. There are other issues and groups, with their own campaigns. I am speficially confining this argument to the handball aspect of this and the fact that shortly very shortly these kids can go take up something else.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4968 - 07/02/2012 15:02:18    1107345