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GAA stadiums could feature in Ireland's potential Euro 2028 campaign

Croke Park. (Photo By Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

IRELAND'S POTENTIAL EURO 2028 campaign could feature GAA stadiums and the GAA is said to be "happy to explore" the idea with people.

The news comes after it was announced this week that the FAI and the UK football associations were set to push on with a bid for the 2028 Euros and shelve the World Cup in 2030.

Ireland's Aviva stadium holds over 51,000 people, but outside of that Croke Park, and Belfast’s Casement Park, other grounds are mainly used for football and hurling.

Other grounds such as Páirc Uí Chaoimh (45,000) in Cork, Semple Stadium, 45,690 in Tipperary, and the Gaelic Grounds 44,023 in Limerick may be options

There are also League of Ireland grounds in the country, but the problem of capacity size in an international tournament could be a logistical nightmare for those grounds.

Photo By Sam Barnes/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

GAA director general Tom Ryan said:

“We spoke to the FAI in the context of a 2030 bid. They did ask if we were happy with the idea that Croke Park was included in a feasibility study at the time.

“We took it to the board and made sure people were happy with that. There were meetings and people did visit the ground to have a look and do what they needed to appraise at that stage. That's really where it is to be honest. That was in the context of 2030 rather than 2028.

“The same principles will apply. There is a process for us to go through in terms of formal permissions and I don't want to pre-empt any of that, the Central Council will have its say there.

“We were aware of the ambitions and we certainly flagged from the outside that we'd be happy to explore the initial stages of those ambitions.”

There is also the added issue of having the GAA season at the backend of the summer in Croke Park, which would clash with the Euro's Ryan did not get into the speculation

He added:

“We’re getting into speculating about things that might be two or three layers of further speculation afar.

“I don’t really have a whole lot to add to that other than if the FAI want to take things to the next level with us in terms of talking about what it might look like, we’d be happy to do that.”