I revise my statement about the reduced capacity. Capacity isn't the problem. Rubbish plans are. It like some random people that have never been to a sporting event in their lives decided the plans.
Word from the public meeting tonight is that if planning is granted (and there was no significant objections at meeting) the Markets Field will be ready for March.
These boys don't mess about!!
Except for when it comes to planning and designing and stuff...
March, but what year?Originally Posted by Lim till i die
Good to hear, if it works out like that.
Markets field in my diary for sometime in March so.
Four months and change. Tight deadline going into winter, even with this reduced project.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
From comments on twitter is seems the markets field will be very small with no permanent bar just temp ones on match day. We will be renting it and have use for 20 games a season. European games if we were to get there would be moved to Thomond Park. After years of talk about limerick going back to the markets field and having a home of our own it is most certainly a let down. It is said there is space for further development down the line but to be honest I can't see there ever being a need for it.
After years of promises and build up it is going to be a let down for a lot of people and I find it hard to see how it will capture the imagination of the limerick public.
That decision is shocking considering there is a bar in there already.
Is this surprising though? The LEDP owns the venue and will be funding it. Surely they intend to have it as a going concern that makes money for them and allows them to funnel money back into it and to other projects. The LEDP aren't stupid - if there is capacity for sustainable expansion at MF, they'll do it. If Lims are bringing in the crowds, they'll be delighted to expand the venue again. It sounds like a good, sustainable project with room for manoeuvre if/when Lims expand their base.
The only baffling decision is the lack of a permanent bar, which with 1,000 people on a weekend night should be a guaranteed money-maker.
Lack of a bar very disappointing, what a lost opportunity for revenue.
Sinn Fein councillor Maurice Quinlivan on Facebook a while ago:
Aside from the obvious mistake in this statement showcasing some ignorance, I'm getting the sense that many people in Limerick won't quite get why these plans are far from perfect, if they look into it at all. Counsellors even more so, several of whom previously threatened to delay the project at stages, but who won't dare be a roadblock with a brutal election campaign coming up when the councils merge.Had a look at the news plans this afternoon to revamp the stadium (well!) and Bring Limerick FC home to the Markets Field. Could be z great boost for he entire City.
LimerickFC are consulting with the Garryowen Community tonight in the local school.......that's how you get community support. Lesson for some other people!!
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
No chance that you'll get planning by March never mind planning and construction.
Unfortunately some do-gooder or tree hugger will object to the plans thus pushing completion back till end of next season at least.
That said its good to see plans progressing albeit disappointing that it won't be owned by the club and at the scale originally envisaged.
Last edited by galwayhoop; 21/11/2013 at 12:05 AM.
I doubt many Limerick fans think they'll be in MF by March. Very optimistic timetable.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
I can understand the LEDP airing on the side of caution and maybe being a bit conservative but it seems to me like its gone way too far in that direction.
There are going to be a lot of of very disappointed people in limerick. For me personally it's the most disappointed I have been since I started heading to LOI games.
For years most the regulars have talked about how great it would be to be able to head up to the markets field have couple of pints in the bar, watch the game back for a few more after it and make it a real club atmosphere and a night out. All that in my opinion is gone out the window.
It's going to be very hard to convince people to come down to games after all the hype of a move back over the years and how great it will be to have a home for limerick football with great facilities. There are so many naysayers in limerick and this is a great victory for them.
I hope to god I am proved wrong when the ground re-opens and it turns out to be a great facility to go watch games in but sadly I can't see I will be.
I never saw us having it near the scale the club envisaged but I also never thought it would go so far in the opposite direction.
A lot of Limerick fans hoping it doesnt get done in its present form full stop id say never mind by March!
Like jof says i think its the absence of an actual home in the form of a club house thats depressing people the most. If you had that to build a club around you could almost get over the rubbish ground (most grounds being rubbish anyway)
As it is we're just primary renters.
We'll be in there 20 days a year.
Schools rugby will prpbably be in there 10.
Ditto underage GAA.
Theres actually far less going for us there than Rovers would have in Tallaght where at least they have a members bar and a shop/cafe which enabled them to put down roots.
Most worryingly in the medium (and it could be shorter than that!) term our new present of a stadium will probably put the clubs future competitiveness in danger as theres more or less zero scope for making money in the ground.
Limerick FC playing out of the markets field without Pat O'Sullivan will be of the.Mike Kerley in Pike vintage rather than the Stuart Taylor vintage.
Ultimately the club\fans need to seriously start looking down the road of some kind of trust\members club.
Is the interest there for that in the town at the moment? Nope.
Can that interest be generated without a proper home? That'll be the challenge but I'd doubt it.
But that's what happens when you're not building your own stadium. I'm saying that in a Shamrock Rovers "we were at the mercy of the people who built our stadium" way, not the smug Sligo Rovers/Bohemians/Pats "we bought a stadium 50 years ago, the rest of you are all tenants hahaha" way. Do you not think Rovers fans would have loved a 10,000-seater stadium in Tallaght? We would have loved it, but we couldn't do it. Pat O'Sullivan is a wealthy man and he could have built his own 10,000-seater stadium, but he decided it was best for himself and Limerick FC to go the tenancy route, and the simple fact of the matter is that somebody else was taking the financial risk (in this case JP McManus) so you have to be content with what they decide. You can disagree with their final assessment, but you can't say they've let anyone down as they are the ones who are ultimately on the chain.
Last edited by Charlie Darwin; 21/11/2013 at 1:28 AM.
That's all understandable but could you imagine if when building Tallaght they said you would have one small stand, no bar/food/clubhouse and if ye play in Europe ye would need to go somewhere else. It would have really ****ed off rovers fans I'm sure.
When Tallaght was opened it did have one stand and no bar/food/clubhouse. That same year they played a league game in Tolka as Tallaght was unavailable (as the council prettied it up for a friendly).
Even now they don't have a full bar license. The Glenamalure suite sells bottles and is open for a couple of hours to very limited numbers. They share it with every other function in the stadium. Even memorabilia wise there's as much rugby there as football. They sell burgers from stalls in much the same way as every other ground in the country
This isn't me having a pop at Rovers. This is me saying that you're overthinking the Market's Field situation. Only 14 months ago you were playing in probably the worst ground in the league. Next season, you'll have a nice tidy little ground that you can build on. Do you think the lack of a bar stops Sligo fans from enjoying trips to the Showgrounds? Lack of ownership is no impediment in Cork or Rovers making Turners Cross or Tallaght "their" home.
You might be disappointed that the plans have been scaled back but Limerick are still in the best situation they've been in for 20 years. A little perspective is needed IMO
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
---
New blog if anyone's interested - http://loihistory.wordpress.com/
LOI section on balls.ie - http://balls.ie/league-of-ireland/
Hopefully the part in bold is the case. I'd certainly be happy with a tidy little ground. The plans don't even look like that will be case but as I said above hopefully I'm proved wrong.
Are the updated plans online anywhere?
The SFAI are the governing body for grassroots football in Ireland, not the FAI. Its success or the lack of is all down to them.
There is a few links there to the plans and a few pages back from the end there is an image uploaded of the plans.
http://foot.ie/threads/149738-Markets-Field-Renovations
I think Limerick fans have every right to be annoyed. After the plans initially shown for MF to be diluted into a slightly fancier version of Jackman, I'd be disgusted if it were me.
The plans are shockingly bad when you get a look at them.
Posting Permissions
Quote
Bookmarks