The Gaelic Athletic Association first approached the Government "five or six weeks ago" for financial support in the Budget, its president said last night. Mr Joe McDonagh said the GAA was delighted with the Budget allocation of £20 million. It was a "very positive" response.
Mr McDonagh said the money had been promised with no strings attached and he thought it unlikely that the next Congress would receive a motion that Croke Park should be opened to other codes.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, told the Dail yesterday that he believed it would not be "too many years away before at least one other national sport is played at Croke Park".
He was responding to opposition criticism of the GAA allocation. The Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said he supported the redevelopment plans for Croke Park but the facility should be made available to other codes.
The previous government offered to pay for the completion of the state-of-the-art stadium on condition that the GAA opened it up to other sports, Mr Quinn said. The GAA reply, "sadly", was that it could not change its rules, he said.
The Minister for Sport, Dr McDaid, said yesterday that "no quid pro quo" was expected from the GAA in return for the £20 million. But as Croke Park was set to develop into a "showcase stadium", there was no reason why major international events should not take place there.
"Nothing has been agreed with the GAA but the hope is that if there is such a stadium, and it is a showcase, that at least the GAA would allow it to host a major international event such as the European Athletics Championships," Dr McDaid said.
Soccer would not be "to the forefront" of his mind, he added, but hosting an athletics event would "certainly be a breakthrough". The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, said on RTE radio he had no apologies to make for the allocation. It was the country's foremost sporting organisation and, unlike others, had a well thought-out development programme.
Mr Quinn asked the Taoiseach if the GAA had undertaken to "revisit, consider or change its internal rules to allow other codes to be played on that wonderful stadium, the restoration of which we fully support".
He said that if no undertaking had been given, then "in that little vignette of a policy decision he [Mr Ahern] has illustrated the social division and the entirely unfair way in which the Government has approached its first Budget".
Mr Ahern argued that if a sports lobby which operated in every village and parish was prepared to put up £150 million to build a national stadium, "what in the name of God is wrong with us supporting that?"
Uniquely sporting spirit won GAA £20m handout: page 14
GAA gifts to society entitle it to receive: page 16