GAA set for huge Oasis Croke Park cash injection but concerts spark end of split season change discussion
With sellouts expected for both Oasis nights, it would be no major surprise if a third or fourth date were added so the GAA could yet double their money on the Manchester band.
Next August’s eagerly-anticipated Oasis reunion double bill is set to net the GAA in the region of €1.5 million for the hire of Croke Park.
That would double last year’s figure of €722, 589 for ‘Hire of Facilities,’ which was down a whopping €4.63 million on the 2022 figure of €5.37 million.
The 2022 income windfall came off the back of over 540,000 fans pouring into Croke Park to see Garth Brooks (five nights) and Ed Sheeran (two nights).
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With sellouts expected for both Oasis nights it would be no major surprise if a third or fourth date were added so the GAA could yet double their money on the Manchester band.
Coldplay begin a four night stint at Croke Park this Thursday, with income for the Association set to be in the region of €3 million for stadium hire.
Three concerts were originally announced by the Chris Martin fronted band, but a fourth date was added at the 82,300 capacity stadium after they sold out fast. The band also played Croke Park for one night back in 2017.
Last year there were no concerts at the venue and this was the biggest factor in Croke Park Stadium revenues dropping by over €10 million.
At the time, Stadium and Commericial Director Peter McKenna explained that the knock-on effects from the staging of the Rugby World Cup in France in September and October and the war in Ukraine had created unstable conditions.
This left a big hole in finances, while Croke Park had no income for ‘hire of facilities’ in 2020 and 2021 due to the covid pandemic.
This year’s revenues are set to be right back on track again though with the four Coldplay nights bringing the number of concerts at the Jones’ Road venue this year to six.
Bruce Springsteen played Croke Park back in May for a third time, while veteran heavy metal band ACDC rocked the venue a fortnight ago.
This means concert income from the hire of Croke Park is set to come in at around €4.6 million when the GAA’s annual accounts are unveiled early in 2025.
Staging Leinster’s sell-out Heineken Cup semi-final win over Northhampton Saints back in May will further bolster GAA finances, with more rugby games set to take place at Croke Park in the coming seasons.
Other bands and artitists to play at Croke Park over the last decade include Westlife, Michael Buble, Taylor Swift, the Rolling Stones, U2, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, the Script and One Direction.
83cent of every €1 of income generated by the GAA is invested back into the Association.
With the GAA inter-county season ending in late July, Oasis’ August dates means there will be no potential clashes with Championship games.
This year’s All-Ireland finals finished on the last weekend of July, with the football decider taking place on Sunday, July 28 and the hurling a week earlier.
There has been ongoing speculation that the split season end date could be pushed out a week or a fortnight further, but there appears to be no appetite for this among counties.
The announcement of the Oasis dates on August 16 and 17 means this is now less likely to happen next year, although Croke Park has been turned around from a GAA venue to a concert venue within a week in the past.
The GAA completed a €12 million refurbishment of Croke Park’s Cusack Stand earlier this year. 36,000 seats, which were 27 years old, were replaced at a cost of €2.8 million alone.
A major upgrade of corporate facilities also took place, while the dressing rooms on the Cusack Stand side were widened and upgraded to match the Hogan Stand side.
Back in 2016 the GAA flagged the fact that €60 million would be spent on upgrading Croke Park over the next decade.
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