Cork GAA chief Kevin O'Donovan: 'Concerts are the only thing that will move the dial on debt'
Ed Sheeran concert at Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork.
Cork GAA chief executive Kevin O'Donovan says attracting concerts to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh has been challenging because the venue is "too big for Live at the Marquee, too small for Coldplay" as the organisation looks to service its €31m stadium debt.
Mr O'Donovan was speaking at a Cork Chamber business breakfast on Tuesday at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. In an engaging presentation, Mr O'Donovan discussed a range of issues, including the stadium debt.
"Concerts in this building are challenging because we're a mid size venue. We're too big for Live at the Marquee, we're too small for Coldplay. We talk to the promoters every day we are seeing now if we can move the dial a little bit and go into smaller events and use car parks and use 4G and put marquees up on the pitch and so on.
"So lest anyone think we are idle, you are at the discretion of the major acts' touring diaries; it's not your diary it's theirs, and we play games for a significant period of the year. Concerts are the only thing that will move the dial on debt here. Everything else really is to keep the lights on."
Cork GAA has sold out 2,200 premium seats, and is now using 360 seats from the overflow demand to accommodate fans in the horseshoe area around the players tunnel.
"We would sell another 1,000 premium seats in the morning thanks to the success of our teams," said Mr O'Donovan.
Cork will play Tipperary on Sunday, April 6, in the Allianz hurling league final in a game that is already a sellout.
A collection of the latest business articles and business analysis from Cork.
