It has been widely speculated that Dublin will play outside Croke Park when they begin the Leinster championship next year. Nowlan Park in Kilkenny is the current favourite to host the Dubs with Portlaoise also a suggestion.
However, contrary to popular belief, one GAA official in the Leinster Council has stated that the demand to relocate Dublin from Croke Park is not there as much as many would lead you to believe.
Leinster Council secretary Michael Reynolds insists that the general consensus among other counties in the province is that playing the Dubs in Croke Park is what the other counties in Leinster want.
No, no, you talk to fellas and they don’t (say that). I mean it would be wrong to say that nobody says it’s unfair.
But being realistic about it, most people want Croke Park and I know that we make a big deal of this thing, or certainly the media do, about playing in Longford in 2006, but counties don’t come thumping on the table saying, ‘Why is this?’ Croke Park is Mecca.”
This isn't the first time that a change of venue for Dublin has been a bone of contention. Portlaoise was suggested ahead of the 2014 but only two counties voted in favour of it. One of the primary fears associated with taking the All-Ireland holders out of Croke Park is the possibility of generating lower revenue from the gate receipts at provincial venues. And Michael Reynolds explains how this impacts the other Leinster counties.
If counties want grants, there will be less money to go around. Nobody has been on to the office calling for one thing or another. This is only the last few days of October so there is still a couple of weeks to put in a motion of order or to let people know that, ‘look, we’re coming with this.
Reynolds concluded that the situation will become clearer on November 11 when county representatives will take on vote on whether or not to implement a change of venue for Dublin's Leinster opener against the winners of Laois and Wicklow.
