Stop Croke Park GAA (PACT) Suing Local Community & Handball Centre Members and Families

We are asking members and supporters of the GAA. to petition that: “The GAA through PACT immediately cease and take no further legal actions against members of the Community & Handball Centre in St. Josephs Avenue, Dublin 3, and that the GAA / C.L.G. and PACT not interfere in any way with the running of the Centre”. The GAA is an amateur association of members, families, and communities with a stated objective to nurture communities and respect individuals. On 15th March 2012 RTE Prime Time (See YouTube - Croke Park Dispute) revealed that: 1. Pairc An Chrocaigh Teo (‘PACT’) the GAA’s company, in the weeks before Christmas, sued through the committee all members/families (over 400) of the Community & Handball Centre (the ‘Centre’) that the community and handballers built and maintained for 40 years. Many being sued are GAA members. A Croke Park executive acknowledged to RTE a reason Croke Park want to knock the Community Centre is so that they could turn lorries. 2. The Community & Handball Centre is a hugely important facility to the local community. 3. A Dublin City Council committee has condemned the GAA’s company PACT for suing the community. {Our Note: See YouTube - This may be the first time the GAA has been condemned by any local authority committee in the Republic and raises serious questions about GAA policy}. To sue people that have given a lifetime as GAA volunteers is a disgrace – to sue them just before Christmas signals something has gone seriously wrong with our association; who, if anyone, advised Croke Park GAA to do that. The GAA is not allowed to sue its members (GAA Rule 1.9) nor should the GAA use its company, PACT, to sue members. Croke Park GAA has enough property and wealth. Anyone that is part of a community group knows how destructive to people’s lives it becomes when a vested interest seeks to sue and destroy it. All the community request is that PACT enter a legal binding agreement to provide full replacement facilities if they want to knock our Centre. Despite promises Croke Park has not done this. GAA/PACT uses professional advisors. Reddy Charlton Solicitors, 12 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2, is acting for PACT in the legal case against the Community & Handball Centre members. We thank you for supporting our petition.