Madam, - I brought my children to support Dublin in Croke Park last Sunday and was annoyed to find that the GAA is now selling alcohol throughout the ground. The bars around the "family" seats in the Upper Canal End dwarf the other concession stands. Drinkers were allowed to bring their glasses back to their seats. I always questioned the sponsorship of the GAA by a drinks company; its own taskforce on alcohol and substance abuse has recommended that this type of sponsorship should be phased out. Where therefore is the logic in allowing the sale of alcohol at matches where young children and impressionable teenagers attend in great numbers? The GAA is scourged by its drink culture.
Promoting the sale of alcohol in Croke Park only reinforces the less than subtle association between sport and alcohol.
It's about time that the leaders of the association realised that drink (not soccer) is the enemy of our children. - Yours, etc,
PETER SMYTH, Clontarf, Dublin.