GAA President John Horan and Cork County Board chairperson Tracey Kennedy issued a brief joint statement today regarding Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
“A scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors of Páirc Uí Chaoimh took place on Monday evening chaired by GAA President John Horan, who was nominated to chair the board at its first meeting in November.
“Michael O’Flynn and Tom Gray, both board directors, have been asked by the board to examine figures and clarify the costs relating to the stadium redevelopment.
“The meeting also confirmed that remedial work will take place on the playing surface to ensure that it will be capable of hosting games fixed for Páirc Uí Chaoimh in 2019. This work will be completed ahead of the commencement of the Allianz Leagues and it is not expected that a replacement of the pitch will be needed in the short term.
GAA President John Horan said: “I am delighted that the GAA has such a positive asset in Cork and I am optimistic about the future of what is a state of the art facility.”
Cork GAA Chairperson Tracey Kennedy added: “It is fantastic for us to be able to call on the experience and expertise of Croke Park to work with us in the operation of our stadium, and I know this will be a huge positive for Páirc Uí Chaoimh.”
Following last week’s exclusive in the Irish Examiner regarding the final cost of the redevelopment there has been intense speculation about that figure, and the main takeaway for observers is that directors Michael O’Flynn and Tom Gray will now focus on that.
However, there is an implicit acknowledgement that the playing surface will need to be replaced in the medium term, while Cork chair Kennedy’s reference to “working with” Croke Park may not entirely assuage doubts on Leeside that Cork officials are in charge of their own stadium.
