Croke Park will host its first association football match between two English teams when Manchester United face Leeds in a pre-season game on Wednesday.

Historically, Croke Park was viewed as a symbolism of Irish nationalism. The Gaelic Athletic Association's Rule 42 prevented 'foreign' sports like English football and rugby from being played in the stadium, and until 1971, anyone who watched or played them could not be a GAA member.

The stadium was the scene of a brutal reprisal attack in November 1920, when 14 people, including Tipperary player Michael Hogan, were killed by British forces. The GAA amended Rule 42 in 2007 to allow Croke Park for association football and rugby temporarily, with the policy becoming permanent after Aviva Stadium opened in 2010.

England's rugby team played the Six Nations at Croke Park twice, with the first match in 2007 ending in a 43-13 loss. Despite concerns over the national anthem, visiting captain Phil Vickery and his players, along with English supporters, clearly observed God Save The Queen, though the noise was incomparable to the Irish anthems that followed.