CROKE PARK IS undergoing another major transformation this week as preparations ramp up for Katie Taylor’s long-awaited homecoming and final professional fight.
Just days after the stadium hosted a run of major concerts from The Weeknd and Bon Jovi, a boxing ring will take centre stage on the pitch on Saturday night as around 80,000 people watch Taylor face undefeated French fighter Flora Pili.
It will be the first professional boxing event held at GAA headquarters in 54 years, since Muhammad Ali defeated Al Lewis there in July 1972.
For Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna, getting everything ready for Taylor’s farewell involves another sizeable logistical operation for a venue which has already had a busy summer.
Speaking to The Journal at the stadium this week, McKenna said preparations involve several different crews working around one another.
“There are lots of issues with different crews, insurance, responsibility, HSA compliance and so on,” McKenna said.
“But my team are very experienced in it. Peter Aiken (owner of Aiken Promotions) knows about bringing stuff in and bringing stuff out. So it’s very, very efficient.”
Satff pictured working on the pitch at Croke Park on Tuesday. Andrew Walsh / The Journal
Andrew Walsh / The Journal / The Journal
That experience, McKenna said, does not mean those involved can afford to relax.
“You never become complacent. You just always have to be aware and be available to people,” McKenna said.
“But there’s something really special about Croke Park. There’s something really special, I think, for any of the fans that have come.
“You’re going to see a mighty show.”
From Tottenham to Croker
One of the challenges facing organisers is ensuring tens of thousands of spectators spread around the vast stadium can properly follow the action in a comparatively small boxing ring.
McKenna travelled to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Tyson Fury’s fight there in April to see how boxing worked in a large outdoor stadium.
Screens pictured at a boxing match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in November 2025. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
He said four large screens will be positioned around the ring at Croke Park, giving spectators a close-up view of the action regardless of where they are sitting.
McKenna said that while spectators sitting further away will not have the same close-up view of the fighters, the screens mean they will be able to follow the action while still experiencing the atmosphere inside the stadium.
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“And I think the atmosphere is going to be enormous,” he said.
“I think any team would struggle to get the roar that Katie will get when she steps out on Saturday. It’s going to be extraordinary.”
It’s not just Katie Taylor and Flora Pili preparing for Saturday’s bout.
We spoke to Peter McKenna, Stadium Director at Croke Park, about how the venue is setting up for the highly anticipated event. pic.twitter.com/AciR94ZSgI
Taylor’s entrance itself is also being carefully planned – while her opponent Pili will emerge from the tunnel under the Hogan Stand (where GAA, LGFA and Camogie teams usually emerge from), Taylor will emerge from the corner tunnel between the Davin and the Cusack Stands, giving her a longer walk to the ring.
McKenna said her route to the ring has been designed to allow as many people as possible to see her as she makes what will be the final walkout of her professional career.
“She’s the champion, so she’s going to get the highlight.”
A two-week operation
Saturday’s event has required considerably more work than simply putting a boxing ring on the Croke Park pitch.
McKenna said the overall operation involves around two weeks of work before the event, including bringing in and preparing the ground, with another two weeks expected afterwards before the stadium is fully returned to normal.
The pitch itself has also had to be factored into the transformation.
With nothing scheduled to take place on it until December though, McKenna joked that the grass was “growing away happily” elsewhere while preparations continued inside the stadium.
“It’s in good fettle,” he said.
Dozens of staff are currently turning the stadium into a boxing venue. The Journal
The Journal
The cost of bringing Taylor to Croke Park had been a major talking point long before Saturday’s fight was finally confirmed.
Promoter Eddie Hearn previously said the costs associated with staging a fight at Croke Park were considerably higher than at Wembley, one of the factors which prevented Taylor from fighting there earlier in her career.
McKenna said some of those public comments formed part of the normal negotiating process.
“There are different idiosyncrasies of events in Ireland that are not replicated in London, so there are costs.”
He said his job was to negotiate on behalf of Croke Park while Hearn had to do the same for sports promotions company Matchroom, with the eventual agreement representing a “meeting of minds”.
‘Once in a generation’
The prospect of Taylor fighting at Croke Park had been discussed for years, with previous attempts to bring her to the stadium (included a well-documented attempt in 2023) failing to get over the line.
“Every punter wrote it off. I wrote it off,” McKenna said.
But promoter Peter Aiken remained convinced the event could work, McKenna said, and became heavily involved alongside Matchroom and Brian Peters in finally getting the fight to Croke Park.
Tickets subsequently “flew out”, McKenna said, describing the reaction to the announcement as a combination of “FOMO” and “massive euphoria”.
He said Taylor’s enduring popularity meant Saturday was always likely to capture the public imagination, particularly because she had opted for a genuine contest.
“It’s a real fight,” he said. “It’s not a glamorous sign-off.”
McKenna believes it would be difficult to replicate the level of interest surrounding Saturday’s event with another boxer.
“Katie is a once-in-a-generation, a once-in-two-generation type individual,” he said.
Katie Taylor pictured at a press event yesterday. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
He hopes the sight of Taylor headlining Croke Park will also have an impact beyond Saturday night, particularly on young girls watching from the stands or at home.
There are more practical considerations to deal with before then.
Alcohol will be sold inside the ground, but McKenna said bars will begin closing as Taylor’s fight approaches because organisers do not want “mad busy bars” while the main event is taking place.
Croke Park and gardaí have also been working on plans for the crowd’s exit, emergency procedures and other risks associated with the event, and locals have voiced concerns about traffic and litter during and after the event.
For McKenna and his team, however, the measure of whether all those weeks of planning have worked will come only after the ring has been dismantled and the crowds have disappeared.
Asked what a successful weekend will look like from his perspective, his answer was considerably simpler than the preparations required to achieve it.
“Sunday morning and everybody’s happy,” McKenna said.
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'Every punter wrote it off': Croke Park chief brings us inside preparations for the Taylor fight
CROKE PARK IS undergoing another major transformation this week as preparations ramp up for Katie Taylor’s long-awaited homecoming and final professional fight.
Just days after the stadium hosted a run of major concerts from The Weeknd and Bon Jovi, a boxing ring will take centre stage on the pitch on Saturday night as around 80,000 people watch Taylor face undefeated French fighter Flora Pili.
It will be the first professional boxing event held at GAA headquarters in 54 years, since Muhammad Ali defeated Al Lewis there in July 1972.
For Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna, getting everything ready for Taylor’s farewell involves another sizeable logistical operation for a venue which has already had a busy summer.
Speaking to The Journal at the stadium this week, McKenna said preparations involve several different crews working around one another.
“There are lots of issues with different crews, insurance, responsibility, HSA compliance and so on,” McKenna said.
“But my team are very experienced in it. Peter Aiken (owner of Aiken Promotions) knows about bringing stuff in and bringing stuff out. So it’s very, very efficient.”
That experience, McKenna said, does not mean those involved can afford to relax.
“You never become complacent. You just always have to be aware and be available to people,” McKenna said.
“But there’s something really special about Croke Park. There’s something really special, I think, for any of the fans that have come.
“You’re going to see a mighty show.”
From Tottenham to Croker
One of the challenges facing organisers is ensuring tens of thousands of spectators spread around the vast stadium can properly follow the action in a comparatively small boxing ring.
McKenna travelled to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Tyson Fury’s fight there in April to see how boxing worked in a large outdoor stadium.
He said four large screens will be positioned around the ring at Croke Park, giving spectators a close-up view of the action regardless of where they are sitting.
McKenna said that while spectators sitting further away will not have the same close-up view of the fighters, the screens mean they will be able to follow the action while still experiencing the atmosphere inside the stadium.
“And I think the atmosphere is going to be enormous,” he said.
“I think any team would struggle to get the roar that Katie will get when she steps out on Saturday. It’s going to be extraordinary.”
Taylor’s entrance itself is also being carefully planned – while her opponent Pili will emerge from the tunnel under the Hogan Stand (where GAA, LGFA and Camogie teams usually emerge from), Taylor will emerge from the corner tunnel between the Davin and the Cusack Stands, giving her a longer walk to the ring.
McKenna said her route to the ring has been designed to allow as many people as possible to see her as she makes what will be the final walkout of her professional career.
“She’s the champion, so she’s going to get the highlight.”
A two-week operation
Saturday’s event has required considerably more work than simply putting a boxing ring on the Croke Park pitch.
McKenna said the overall operation involves around two weeks of work before the event, including bringing in and preparing the ground, with another two weeks expected afterwards before the stadium is fully returned to normal.
The pitch itself has also had to be factored into the transformation.
With nothing scheduled to take place on it until December though, McKenna joked that the grass was “growing away happily” elsewhere while preparations continued inside the stadium.
“It’s in good fettle,” he said.
The cost of bringing Taylor to Croke Park had been a major talking point long before Saturday’s fight was finally confirmed.
Promoter Eddie Hearn previously said the costs associated with staging a fight at Croke Park were considerably higher than at Wembley, one of the factors which prevented Taylor from fighting there earlier in her career.
McKenna said some of those public comments formed part of the normal negotiating process.
“There are different idiosyncrasies of events in Ireland that are not replicated in London, so there are costs.”
He said his job was to negotiate on behalf of Croke Park while Hearn had to do the same for sports promotions company Matchroom, with the eventual agreement representing a “meeting of minds”.
‘Once in a generation’
The prospect of Taylor fighting at Croke Park had been discussed for years, with previous attempts to bring her to the stadium (included a well-documented attempt in 2023) failing to get over the line.
“Every punter wrote it off. I wrote it off,” McKenna said.
But promoter Peter Aiken remained convinced the event could work, McKenna said, and became heavily involved alongside Matchroom and Brian Peters in finally getting the fight to Croke Park.
Tickets subsequently “flew out”, McKenna said, describing the reaction to the announcement as a combination of “FOMO” and “massive euphoria”.
He said Taylor’s enduring popularity meant Saturday was always likely to capture the public imagination, particularly because she had opted for a genuine contest.
“It’s a real fight,” he said. “It’s not a glamorous sign-off.”
McKenna believes it would be difficult to replicate the level of interest surrounding Saturday’s event with another boxer.
“Katie is a once-in-a-generation, a once-in-two-generation type individual,” he said.
He hopes the sight of Taylor headlining Croke Park will also have an impact beyond Saturday night, particularly on young girls watching from the stands or at home.
There are more practical considerations to deal with before then.
Croke Park has asked spectators to be respectful of people living around the stadium when the 80,000-strong crowd leaves late on Saturday.
Alcohol will be sold inside the ground, but McKenna said bars will begin closing as Taylor’s fight approaches because organisers do not want “mad busy bars” while the main event is taking place.
Croke Park and gardaí have also been working on plans for the crowd’s exit, emergency procedures and other risks associated with the event, and locals have voiced concerns about traffic and litter during and after the event.
For McKenna and his team, however, the measure of whether all those weeks of planning have worked will come only after the ring has been dismantled and the crowds have disappeared.
Asked what a successful weekend will look like from his perspective, his answer was considerably simpler than the preparations required to achieve it.
“Sunday morning and everybody’s happy,” McKenna said.
“That’s what success looks like.”
Written by Andrew Walsh and posted on TheJournal.ie
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Boxing boxing ring Croke Park Croker Dublin Flora Pili Katie Taylor Peter McKenna set up Stadium