CIARÁN KILKENNY reckons that Dublin’s Leinster SFC quarter- final with Meath should have been in Navan — not Croke Park.
And the eight-time All-Ireland winner asked why the GAA has not done more to promote the Championship.
2
2
Kilkenny lined out in the Sky Blues’ 16-point demolition of Meath at GAA HQ on Sunday.
But with an attendance of 21,445 the venue was three-quarters empty, leading to claims it should have been played at a provincial venue.
Dublin have consistently hit the road in recent seasons for their Championship openers and could have packed Navan’s 11,000 capacity Páirc Tailteann.
Kilkenny said: “There would have been a better atmosphere if the game was in Páirc Tailteann.
“We would have loved it if the game was there from an atmosphere point of view.
“I know Meath are a very proud footballing county and they have a serious tradition of playing football and I know they would be seriously disappointed with the performance they put in.
“It was very competitive in the first half but there definitely has to be something done in that regard.
“It went from a big attendance in Croke Park against Derry in the league final to 22,000 there on Sunday.
Most Read In The Irish Sun
“I don’t know what needs to be done but I think we can do a lot more to promote games.
“For me, being a schoolteacher and thinking of the bigger picture . . . like, as players you love to have the condensed season.
“You are playing games continually and you have more time with the club but from a promotional point of view in the GAA, the September All-Ireland finals were great for schools in terms of having a buzz there around the finals.
“Everyone is back from their holidays.
“I don’t know what needs to be done, I am not a decision maker but I do think there is more that we can do to promote the games in that sense.”
GRIDIRON GANG
Kilkenny was speaking as an ambassador for the 2024 Aer Lingus College Football Classic which takes place at the Aviva Stadium on August 24.
Georgia Tech will face Florida State University and Kilkenny said the GAA can take lessons from the sport.
He said: “I’d recommend anyone to go to the match because the whole pageantry and entertainment is really amazing.
“We can learn a few things from how they celebrate their games.”
