Republic of Ireland fans will know later this month whether or not we will be able to play at Croke Park whilst Lansdowne Road is being refurbished between 2006 and 2008. Top of the agenda at the GAA's annual congress on April 15th-16th will be Rule 42, preventing the use of Croke Park for other sports. (even though American College football has been played there in the past) A two-thirds majority will be needed if both football and rugby are to be played at Croker with it's 82,000 capacity making it the fourth largest stadium in Europe.

However the controversial proposal promises to be a close run thing. With over 2,500 GAA clubs represented, there is by no means any certainty that Rule 42 will be abolished. Some traditionalists see Croke Park as an integral part of Irish culture and identity, calling the vote "a protection of the GAA's intellectual property," while others, including the association's president, Sean Kelly, believe it would be wrong to force the national football and rugby teams to play their home games in the UK while Lansdowne Road is closed. Technically if Rule 42 was abolished Ireland could even play their final World Cup qualifying ties against France, in September, and Switzerland in October at Croke Park, almost doubling the number of Irish fans at these games, surely a win, win situation if ever there was one, now there's a thought!

The Croke Park site was bought for £3,500 in 1813 and now serves as the revered home of both hurling and Gaelic football. Last September the GAA received a €40 million grant from the government with a promise of more to come for improvements to Croke Park which at the moment has no floodlights. According to director-general Liam Mulvihill "The debate over Rule 42 will be intense because there are very strong convictions on both sides." Indeed up until last October's special congress, the GAA's motions committee prevented even the discussion of any proposals calling for the removal of Rule 42 so to some GAA stalwart's even this is a step to far. "There are no strings attached to the grant and that needs to be emphasised. There has been a lot of things said about Rule 42 but no deal has been done with the government." states Kelly. "No strings attached" may be the case, but Kelly, who favour's dropping Rule 42, is savvy enough to know that there will have to be a compromise if further government money is to come their way. As he points out "If the Irish National Football and Rugby teams have to play abroad and we then go to the government looking for money, what sort of reaction do you think we'll get?"

If the FAI and the IRFU have to play their home games abroad then the loss of revenue to Dublin and Ireland will run into millions of euros not to mention the disadvantage of playing 'home' games at a neutral venue. Fixture complications could also be a problem and then there's the money the GAA could earn from these lucrative fixtures, a thought not lost on those government ministers in Leinster House!