One of the major talking points in Irish rugby is 2024 has been the Aviva Stadium and the atmosphere at the stadium, especially at Ireland matches.
Over the past year, Ireland games have had a much quieter crowd at games while the ticket prices have only gone up and up, with the latest Autumn Nations Series having tickets priced well over €100.
More and more of these tickets are going to sponsors and corporates rather than fans who attend provincial games or contribute to the sport at grass roots level every week.
It's one of the major issues in Irish rugby as if ticket prices remain high and fans are priced out, the IRFU are in danger of losing out on the next generation of fans as kids will become less interested in the sport if they feel they can't go to Ireland matches.
Speaking on The Offload alongside Donncha O'Callaghan, former Ireland International Tommy Bowe spoke about what he would like to see for the new year and it's a massive change for Irish rugby.
I think Ireland home matches need to be played at Croke Park. At 50,000 capacity, the Aviva is a wonderful stadium but it's not big enough for the Six Nations against England and France.
When you think of the other International teams in the Six Nations, the next biggest is Murrayfield 67,000, they have 17,000 more seats.
The ticket prices for these matches as well, €160 to go to the game, it's a lot of money and its driving supporters away. I was at the Autumn Internationals, I didn't enjoy the spectacle, there's too many people there who are there for the day out and not for the rugby.
Have it Croke Park, 82,000 people there, reduce ticket prices, they're not allowed to drink and I know people may not like that but for the sake of the 80 minutes of the game, get out there, enjoy it, get stuck in and support.
Tommy Bowe isn't the only one that feels this way as Gerry Thornley also made this call earlier this month for the IRFU to play at Croke Park as a way to tackle extortionate ticket prices.
It's seems more likely than ever now as GAA President Jarlath Burns has made it clear in his first year as President that he wants to diverse the GAA's revenue streams and making better use of Croke Park, with more concerts as well as two Leinster matches already taking place at GAA HQ in 2024.
While it's highly unlikely that we'll see a permanent switch anytime soon, perhaps a once off big test against England or New Zealand in Croker could help bring in the true rugby fans and help create the atmosphere and spectacle they are after.
