CROKE PARK HAS asked the 80,000 people expected to attend Katie Taylor’s farewell fight this weekend to be respectful of local residents as they leave the stadium late on Saturday night.
Taylor will finally realise her long-held ambition of fighting at GAA headquarters when she faces undefeated French boxer Flora Pili in the final bout of her career.
The sold-out event will bring one of the biggest crowds in boxing history to the stadium, with the main event potentially finishing as late as 11pm on Saturday evening.
Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna told The Journal that detailed plans are in place to manage the large crowd as it leaves the area.
“That’s what we do,” McKenna said, pointing to the stadium’s experience of handling similar crowds at GAA matches and recent concerts.
But he stressed that organisers “can never be complacent” when managing an event of this scale.
Croke Park and gardaí will hold a detailed meeting on Thursday to go through exiting plans, emergency procedures and a risk analysis ahead of the fight.
“The objective is that people come and have a good time, get out and go home safely,” McKenna said.
“We just ask everyone to be respectful of the neighbourhood when they leave and try and create as little noise as possible.
“It’s not that long till you get into the city centre, and that’s the place to enjoy yourself. Head off down to Temple Bar or somewhere similar, but this is a residential area, so just be mindful of that.”
McKenna said local residents have raised “normal, reasonable concerns” about the event, including around parking, traffic restrictions and when the area around the stadium will be locked down.
“When is the lockdown going to happen? Where can we park? How about traffic restrictions?” he said.
“What are the issues that arose during Bon Jovi? Have you corrected and managed those that arose during the weekend?”
McKenna said Croke Park has its own community officer and works closely with residents, while lessons have also been taken from the recent concert series.
“There were some issues that arose around litter and litter collection during the concert series,” he said.
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“Nobody’s fault, but we’ve made corrections now with Dublin City Council. They’re working with us now to make sure that those areas are looked at with greater attention.”
Hundreds of tickets have also been made available to the local community for Taylor’s long-awaited Croke Park appearance.
Taylor pictured in Croke Park in June. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
McKenna said he expects the make-up of Saturday’s crowd to help the event run smoothly, noting that many of those attending will be Taylor fans rather than regular boxing spectators.
“The vast majority of people coming here are Katie fans, so they want to see a good evening out,” he said.
He said the event is likely to attract families and children, which he expects will act as a “great dampener” on the crowd.
“That’ll just make everything run that little bit more smoothly,” McKenna said.
“People are going to be passionate,” he added, noting that unlike many boxing events, the crowd will be overwhelmingly behind the same fighter (Taylor).
Alcohol will be available inside the stadium on Saturday, although spectators will not be permitted to bring their own drink through the turnstiles.
McKenna said the bars will operate similarly to concerts and matches, but will begin to close as Taylor’s fight approaches.
“We will systematically close the bars as the fight begins.”
He added that organisers want to “strike a nice balance” and do not want alcohol to become a major feature of the night.
Preparations are already well underway to transform Croke Park for the first professional boxing event at the stadium since Muhammad Ali fought Al Lewis in 1972.
McKenna said managing the turnaround from recent concerts to Saturday’s fight is a significant logistical operation, involving different crews, insurance and health and safety requirements.
However, he said the stadium has an experienced team overseeing the work and that he is confident spectators are in for “a mighty show”.
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Croke Park doesn't want a wild crowd or 'mad busy bars' for Katie Taylor's late-night fight
CROKE PARK HAS asked the 80,000 people expected to attend Katie Taylor’s farewell fight this weekend to be respectful of local residents as they leave the stadium late on Saturday night.
Taylor will finally realise her long-held ambition of fighting at GAA headquarters when she faces undefeated French boxer Flora Pili in the final bout of her career.
The sold-out event will bring one of the biggest crowds in boxing history to the stadium, with the main event potentially finishing as late as 11pm on Saturday evening.
Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna told The Journal that detailed plans are in place to manage the large crowd as it leaves the area.
“That’s what we do,” McKenna said, pointing to the stadium’s experience of handling similar crowds at GAA matches and recent concerts.
But he stressed that organisers “can never be complacent” when managing an event of this scale.
Croke Park and gardaí will hold a detailed meeting on Thursday to go through exiting plans, emergency procedures and a risk analysis ahead of the fight.
“The objective is that people come and have a good time, get out and go home safely,” McKenna said.
“We just ask everyone to be respectful of the neighbourhood when they leave and try and create as little noise as possible.
“It’s not that long till you get into the city centre, and that’s the place to enjoy yourself. Head off down to Temple Bar or somewhere similar, but this is a residential area, so just be mindful of that.”
McKenna said local residents have raised “normal, reasonable concerns” about the event, including around parking, traffic restrictions and when the area around the stadium will be locked down.
“When is the lockdown going to happen? Where can we park? How about traffic restrictions?” he said.
“What are the issues that arose during Bon Jovi? Have you corrected and managed those that arose during the weekend?”
McKenna said Croke Park has its own community officer and works closely with residents, while lessons have also been taken from the recent concert series.
“There were some issues that arose around litter and litter collection during the concert series,” he said.
“Nobody’s fault, but we’ve made corrections now with Dublin City Council. They’re working with us now to make sure that those areas are looked at with greater attention.”
Hundreds of tickets have also been made available to the local community for Taylor’s long-awaited Croke Park appearance.
McKenna said he expects the make-up of Saturday’s crowd to help the event run smoothly, noting that many of those attending will be Taylor fans rather than regular boxing spectators.
“The vast majority of people coming here are Katie fans, so they want to see a good evening out,” he said.
He said the event is likely to attract families and children, which he expects will act as a “great dampener” on the crowd.
“That’ll just make everything run that little bit more smoothly,” McKenna said.
“People are going to be passionate,” he added, noting that unlike many boxing events, the crowd will be overwhelmingly behind the same fighter (Taylor).
Alcohol will be available inside the stadium on Saturday, although spectators will not be permitted to bring their own drink through the turnstiles.
McKenna said the bars will operate similarly to concerts and matches, but will begin to close as Taylor’s fight approaches.
“We don’t want mad busy bars when she’s on,” McKenna said.
“We will systematically close the bars as the fight begins.”
He added that organisers want to “strike a nice balance” and do not want alcohol to become a major feature of the night.
Preparations are already well underway to transform Croke Park for the first professional boxing event at the stadium since Muhammad Ali fought Al Lewis in 1972.
McKenna said managing the turnaround from recent concerts to Saturday’s fight is a significant logistical operation, involving different crews, insurance and health and safety requirements.
However, he said the stadium has an experienced team overseeing the work and that he is confident spectators are in for “a mighty show”.
Written by Andrew Walsh and posted on TheJournal.ie
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Ballybough Boxing Croke Park Croker Drumcondra Dublin Flora Pili Katie Taylor Last Orders local residents Match Peter McKenna