GAA DIRECTOR General Páraic Duffy yesterday confirmed the GAA are fully committed to embarking on the biggest period of infrastructural investment since the redevelopment of Croke Park was completed in 2005.

Over €160 million will be required, from internal and external sources, to completely modernise both Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork and Casement Park in Belfast.

“We know over the next number of years our two big commitments will be to Casement Park and Páirc Uí Chaoimh,” said Duffy yesterday. “It will be a huge strain on our resources, clearly we are talking about getting into borrowings here.

“But the main point I want to make is that because of the huge amount of work done over the past 10 years in terms of ground redevelopment we are not in too bad a shape all over the country. Secondly, because of the recession there wouldn’t be as great a demand in other counties to redevelop stadia that there would have been.

“The government funding, sports capital grants, has largely dried up. That means there are less projects and with Cork and Belfast putting a serious demand on us there won’t be an awful lot available for other projects over the next five years.”

The Ulster Council plan to develop a 40,000 capacity ground in Belfast with Cork GAA aiming for 45,000 capacity and a centre of excellence.

They are poised to seek planning permission for the first phase of a two-year project to modernise Páirc Uí Chaoimh, which includes 2,000 corporate and premium seats. The projected total cost is €67 million. Naming rights will also be sold.

“I think there has been a huge positive payback by the redevelopment of Croke Park,” Duffy said. “People want to come to a stadium where spectator comfort is outstanding, players enjoy playing there and now we will have two more well developed stadia at either end of the country.

“In the future people won’t come to games without a certain level of comfort and facilities. We need to be able to deliver that to the public who attend our games.”

Cork county board aspire to complete the re-development by the end of 2015.

“In the ideal scenario you wouldn’t be redeveloping two of your biggest stadia at the same time. But I think nobody would argue both of them are in serious need of redevelopment,” said Duffy, who made the point that the bulk of the money for the Casement redevelopment – some £61.4 million (€76.55m) – is coming from the Northern Ireland Executive.

“The initial idea was to build a multi-sports stadium at the Maze which the GAA had signed up for with soccer and rugby. That fell through and it was decided to redevelop each organisation’s stadia separately. So we had no control over the timing; the opportunity is there now and it couldn’t be turned down.”

The GAA are contributing £15 million (€18.7 million) to the Casement project. Although a formal meeting has yet to take place between Cork officials and the GAA management committee, a similar financial commitment is expected to be requested from central coffers.

“In the case of Páirc Uí Chaoimh it just has to be modernised,” Duffy continued. “It does put a burden on us. I suppose we are a little further behind in the Cork situation. The Casement case has been made, they have been down to Croke Park and the plans are underway so we know what the commitment there will be.

“But everybody agrees it has to be done. Cork have acquired the land and are in the preliminary stages of design.”

The Cork county board, led by long-serving secretary Frank Murphy, will also seek a contribution from the Munster Council and state funding.

Phase one will require €40-50 million over two years with phase two being the construction of a new terrace and open stand. The centre of excellence will include an all-weather pitch, new gymnasium, dressingrooms, video and performance assessment facilities. A viewing area of 1,000 capacity for the all-weather pitch will form part of the redevelopment of the existing covered stand.

Four hundred jobs are expected to be created by the project with €22 million going into the construction and related industries.

“We will contribute the majority of the funding ourselves,” said Cork chairman Bob Ryan. “If we can raise the funds for completion in one phase we will.”

In the meantime, no major championship matches will be held in Cork city as Páirc Uí Rinn only holds 17,000. There are home and away agreements in place with a number of Munster counties, which Cork GAA hope will be honoured with a run of home matches after 2015.

Meanwhile, the Kilkenny county board have refused to react to comments by Galway’s Joe Canning accusing Henry Shefflin of unsportsmanlike behaviour in last Sunday’s All-Ireland final.

Canning was recognised yesterday for his semi-final performance against Cork on August 12th with the GPA/GAA hurler of the month award. Canning landed 11 points in the 0-22 to 0-17 victory.

Donegal’s Karl Lacey received the football award after an excellent display, also against Cork, that included kicking 0-2 from half back in his 100th appearance.

DUFFY SAYS NOVEL FOOTBALL PAIRING IS GOOD FOR GAME

PÁRAIC DUFFY estimates the GAA could fill Croke Park twice over for next week's All-Ireland football final and says a Mayo v Donegal decider is good for the game.

The Association's Director General has noted a huge demand for tickets from abroad and thinks the "novelty factor" of this year's senior football final will give encouragement to other counties.

"They used to say the All-Ireland was a closed shop and that only a small number of teams could win," said Duffy. "Yet we've had three different pairings in the All-Ireland in three years with Cork v Down, Dublin v Kerry and now Mayo v Donegal.

"Now it shows a lot of counties can aspire to win the All-Ireland and that is good for the game. The novelty factor is good. It's so new and fresh.

"No one would begrudge either side an All-Ireland. They have been waiting a long time and it has the makings of a great final."

With an All-Ireland hurling final replay between Kilkenny and Galway still to come, the scramble for tickets in both codes is well underway and the uniqueness of a Mayo v Donegal football final has made it an occasion no one wants to miss.

"Both Mayo and Donegal are counties that have huge emigrant populations so there will be a massive number of people abroad looking for tickets," explained Duffy.

"I think probably for this game if Croke Park had twice the capacity it would sell out.

"If you put tickets on sale and you had a capacity of 150,000, you'd sell it out. You definitely would."