Best & Worst League Stadia in the 90's

[EivissaPaul]

Best -- Tolka

Worst -- Harolds Cross / Baldonnell!!

Anybody else have an opinion??

[GGAJD]

Best -- Brandywell / Tolka

Worst -- Rathbane, hands down the worst ground ever / Buckley park / Belfield / St Mels / United pk (still is) / Newcastle west's ground, can't remember the name but it would run Rathbane close / Harold's Cross / Bishopstown.

[weecountyman]

Best - Tolka, Oriel (before it went pearshaped), Derry

Worst - Belfield (wind tunnel), United Park, Harolds Cross

[Mayo Red]

Best - Tolka

Worst - St Mels

[Dave_SRFC]

Worst was Dalymount

[Terry]

best - tolka

worst - st. mels

[Ash]

The Stadium of Tin was something special.

[Dillonman]

St Mels was woeful, decent new stadium! Baldonnel was a kip.

Best: Brandywell

[Terry]

The Stadium of Tin was something special.

something you had to experience alright !

[Finlay Harp]

Best- Oriel Park Dundalk
Worst - Showgrounds Sligo.

[Onefootednopace]

Best- Tolka Park

Worst- Bishopstown- 2 buses to get there and wellingtons required to wade through the muck.

[**FrOsTy**]

EDIT- Just seen the full title of the thread. Didn't realise it was just the 90's

Best - Tolka Park

Worst - RSC

[Ash]

something you had to experience alright !

Absolutely ... the dodgy train sleepers as seats in the stand behind the goal,
the stand at the other end that blew away in the high winds - deemed an act
of god so there was no insurance pay out ... the media gantry - Athlones own
leaning tower ... the unisex multi-purpose wall (aka toilets) at the far end ...
the away dressing room that only ever had 10 minutes of hot water ... the
home dressing room with holes in the pipes so the shower water sprayed
everywhere.

Christ I miss that place :(

[placid casual]

best- Brandywell
worst- sligo showgrounds
2nd worst- santrysiro

[Rovers1]

Was the late 90's before I started attending away games, so didn't see alot of the grounds mentioned above. Loved going to St. Mel's and Finn Park, even though they were(and still, for the latter) holes.

[Dodge]

They were all kips. Most of them still are

[HarpoJoyce]

Best: Dalymount Park (HoIF), 3 bars, expansive terracing, crush barriers, vomitoriums, Scottish-styled floodlights, International football, parterre (terracing in front of tribune/stand).

noted grounds: Carlisle Grounds (HoWF), according to Neil Jordan 'Croke Park'. Very convenient from the DART station so was not considered a chore in travelling to it. Always considered part of the count for 'Dublin teams' in the sentence "There are now # number of Dublin teams in the Premier Division/First Division". Row of big houses behind the goal.

RDS: Lower level terracing below upper level seating, (more room the at Solitude). Terracing away in the corner called "The pocket" but never used for football as it was to far away. Presidential pavillion on the far side and Presidential candidate showing up on first day. News that squad players from LoI clubs having to receive tetanus vaccines to protect against threat from equine dung.

Billy Morton Stadium: Oval, running track, shared sports "Herb Elliot, Sonia O'Sullivan and Terry McHugh was 'ere" thinking. Found the 'santrysiro' references Hack-speak, trying to identify with the San Siro (and AC Milan) when Stadio Olmpico and Stadio Sant'Elia (Cagliari where Rep. of Ireland actually played) are far more appropiate references. Because they watched Italian football on RTE One on a Monday night "it's pronounced A", they could not be told.

St. Colman's Park: Top of the hill, clubhouse.

Introduction of individual seatin in the Main Stand at Tolka.

For the grounds that got slagged off Rathbane (Rathbane North) got the worse of it from Dublin fans. Far away from the centre and por facilities there were the main concerns. The clubhouse (dressingrooms or both?) maliciously being burnt never helps.

Buckley Park aswell was hammered for no good reason, Fiona Looney stated "I've stood in Kilkenny in the rain" on Irish radio. She believed she was promoting League of Ireland football at the time. Never understood blaming the home team for the weather. Buckley Park had what I call a Jigsaw stand, separate wooden sections with two (or three) rows of seats in each section. Very unique. I have never seen it anywhere else in the world.

Most of the grounds had a wall and standing around it. In Turners Cross the shed behind the goal was the only promomently raised area. But the other three sides were no difference in viewing than Iveagh Grounds, Abbeycartron or Finn Park.

Just want to finish by adding about St. Mel's Park "Turly is Magic".

[Mark]

best: tallaght, turner's cross, tolka
worst: abbeycartron, harolds cross

[bluewhitearmy]

For the grounds that got slagged off Rathbane (Rathbane North) got the worse of it from Dublin fans. Far away from the centre and por facilities there were the main concerns. The clubhouse (dressingrooms or both?) maliciously being burnt never helps.
".

Yes that 3 minute walk would kill ya :rolleyes:

[HarpoJoyce]

Yes that 3 minute walk would kill ya :rolleyes:

Rathbane is more than a three minute walk from the centre of Limerick.
But people might believe you.

[Fr Damo]

Just want to finish by adding about St. Mel's Park "Turly is Magic".


And the "Larry be Wise" in arosol paint can still be seen on the wall as you walk up to the old site!

Best: Tolka

Worst: Abbeycarton.

[Paddyfield]

BEST:
Tolka ... 10,000 shiny seats occupied by 700 arses
St Mel's.... it wasn't pretty but it was er, atmospheric.



WORST:
Terryland (pre 93)....no seats, no toilets, no nothing!
Rathbane.... as above except that your car wasn't safe
Abbeycarton...as above plus the ball often rolled off the pitch

[peadar1987]

Tallaght?

It was started in the 90s!

[Dalymountrower]

Worst was Dalymount
:confused:

[fieldofmarkets]

My car "lost" its hubcaps twice outside Rathbane. Well my Dad's car.

Hated the place but couldn't stop going.
Favourite - Tolka

[bluewhitearmy]

Rathbane is more than a three minute walk from the centre of Limerick.
But people might believe you.

Can't see why they shouldn't when i live around the corner from Rathbane. May not be three could be five or six alright.

[Hibernian]

Best is Turners Cross.

Worst by mile is between Rathbane and Jackman park.

Christ all i say is rathbane is some dump to say least.

[Claret Murph]

As for the worst I would say it would be hard to beat St Mels .

[Mark]

It was started in the 90s!

oh sorry!! of course it wasn't there in the 90s but i'm with peader in that work started in the 90's so under those rules it counts!

[Bluebeard]

Of the grounds I visited in the 1990s, the best was probably Tolka.

Certainly, for me, the worst in that spell was the RSC the year we moved in, though that wouldn't qualify as a "Stadium" by the grandest stretch of the imagination.

Kilkenny was never bad by national standards, and became quite flashy in later years - the only thing about it was the trip there - Kilkenny roads are not noted for being good, straight or well signposted.

[Martinho II]

I didnt travel to away games in the nineties but I would agree with the point that Abbeycartron wasnt the best.. It was convient to go to but the facilities were outdated and the pitch swampy.. the local schoolboy league use it now..

[Monkey]

Best Tolka Park great playing surface

Worst Abbycarton terrible pitch , terrible dressing rooms

[OneRedArmy]

Abbeycarton unquestionably worse than St. Mels, although the nastiness of the oiks in the surrounding area to St. Mels makes it pretty much equal. Rathbane not far behind.

[Dodge]

Best Tolka Park great playing surface


Whatever about the ground, tolka's pitch has always been horrible.

[Schumi]

Abbeycarton unquestionably worse than St. MelsPossibly the most disturbing thing I've read on here. :eek: Glad it was before my time going to games.

[marinobohs]

Whatever about the ground, tolka's pitch has always been horrible.

Pitch at Tolka was historically and for a long time a disgrace (sloping mudbath for half the season) but in fairness when they were spending money the pitch was improved and I seem to recall they were among the first to employ a full time groundsman.
Tolka was always a ground I liked visiting for away games. Richmond and United park (Drogs) always seemed to have a good atmosphere but that may be due to the cramped "away" conditions. Dundalk and sligo have an authentic football feel about them (mainly down to fans).

[osarusan]

Best: Jackman Park / Rathbane

Worst: Priory Park / Hogan Park

[mypost]

Best: RDS

Worst: Monaghan

The only football ground where cows form part of the attendance.

[passerrby]

Best: RDS

Worst: Monaghan

The only football ground where cows form part of the attendance.

yes but they were not the lowest form of life there that day

[passerrby]

sorry cheap shot

best dundalk

worst mels

[dcfc_1928]

Best: Oriel, Tolka, Dalymount

Worst: The Demesne (Newcastlewest), Belgium Park, Abbeycarton