GAA PRESIDENT Christy Cooney has ruled out any extension of the use of association grounds for other sports.

Speaking before congress accepted Croke Park would be permanently available at the discretion of Central Council, Cooney, who accepted he had been mistaken in his opposition to the original reform in 2005, affirmed the limitations on this relaxation of the old ban.

His comments came in the context of a controversy involving Nemo Rangers from Cooney’s own county of Cork, whose facilities were used by the Ireland rugby team recently. Speaking after congress, the president said the process of looking into this alleged breach was ongoing.

“My views on the use of Croke Park were well known in the run-up to the vote to temporarily amend Rule 42 in 2005,” he said in his annual address to congress on Saturday, “but I think anyone would find it hard to argue that opening up the stadium to other sporting codes has not had a positive effect on the association for a variety of reasons.

“I am acutely aware of the presence of a number of motions on the clár today in relation to the ongoing use of the Páirc An Chrócaigh. However, I must stress that these propose to oversee the management of Croke Park and Croke Park only. They concern no other GAA facility. Once again I point to existing rules in this area and remind our members of the importance of upholding them.”

In a low-key address, Cooney covered a number of issues including the importance of clubs as “entry point” to the GAA, progress being made on the updating of fixtures administration through the use of the Servas Sport IT platform, child protection measures, the ongoing inclusion initiatives and the need for financial prudence.

Commenting on relations with the Gaelic Players Association, after the earlier decision to recognise the players’ body, he said work on a detailed blueprint for a future of the relationship was in hand. “We are working together in developing a comprehensive agreement to put in place a framework for a long-term relationship that respects our values and traditions. We will have this completed in September of this year.”

He paid tribute to a number of Central Council delegates whose term of office expired at the weekend. “Such men include Ger McKenna, PS Ó Riain, Séamus Ó Briain, Tom Downes and Dan McCartan. Combined, they have devoted service longer than the lifespan of the association itself.”