best & worst e/l ground

[the 12 th man]

leaving out your own ground.whats your fav and your least fav grounds to visit and why??

[Dodge]

Depends on the question.

The best is Tolka. Easily. Anybody who says anything else is saying it because they hate Shels. Worst was Whitehall. Haven't been to Pike Rovers but I believe its terrible.

Least favourite to visit is Dalymount. The Connaught st side is truely appalling. Favourite to visit would be Longford.

[max power]

have to put richmond as my fav, simpley because its across the road from my apartment....worst.......finn park, not a nice place at all

[Macy]

Nothing to Kildare's ground, haven't been the Pike. Worst in the Premier is Drogheda - doesn't meet current standards, can't see how it can get a Licence. Belfield is a joke at the moment too.

Best probably Tolka or Turners Cross - seated capacity mainly though. Think Flancare looks okay, with 3 sides the same (soon to change though).

Favourites - Least Favourite definitely Belfield, a soul destroying place to watch football. Favourite Richmond Park - always a good, vocal Town support be it against Rovers (non-7pm kick offs) or Pats.

[eoinh]

The worst i visited was Rathbane when Limerick played there. I doubt if Pike Rovers is much better. Best _-Tolka Park although Buckley Park is quite nice too.

[Schumi]

Favourite place to visit is Longford but Dalymount or Cork are probably the best grounds. The view is pretty $hit from a lot of Tolka.

Least favourite place to visit is probably Bray (cold, no roof, annoying kids) but Whitehall is the worst ground I've been to by a distance although with Limerick and Athlone this year that might change!

[Dodge]

(Swore I wouldn't comment on other people's opinions but...)

Dalymount is terrible. One great stand but the rest is poor seats on a bad terrace witha roof that covers less than half (School End), a car park, poorly put in seats on a crumbling terrace (Connaught St) and a delapitated terrace thats closed due to safety reasons (Shoppin Centre end)

[Schumi]

Dalymount is terrible. One great stand but the rest is poor seats on a bad terrace witha roof that covers less than half (School End), a car park, poorly put in seats on a crumbling terrace (Connaught St) and a delapitated terrace thats closed due to safety reasons (Shoppin Centre end) :D I knew a Rovers or Pats fan would object! Yeah, the rest of the ground is pretty $hit but the Jodi is so far ahead of anything else in the league that it puts it up there. Half of Tolka is uncovered, the dug-outs block your view from a good chunk of the main stand and the poles in the Riverside block the view a lot so it's far from perfect too.

[Roo69]

leaving out your own ground.whats your fav and your least fav grounds to visit and why??

I havent been to every ground so cant really comment, but, of where i have been Richmond would be my fav, purely on atmosphere, anytime ive been the place has had a great buzz around it + plus last league meeting between pats and us we stuffed them 4-1 :D Dayler would be 2nd. Dont like Tolka, or Finn Park.

But theres nothing like a day @ the Carlisle when the suns out ! (very rare thou !)

[Maz]

best ground is tolka or turners cross! favourite ground to visit would have to be richmond and tolka! worst Belfield and drogheda!!

[Maz]

just because of the atmosphere at our away games there mostly!!

[A face]

A shameless plug for my own site but here goes

www.ifgrounds.com

Hey .... if it helps people decide !! :)

[Dodge]

Can`t beleive Richmond is amoung peoples fave grounds :eek:
Why its my favourite. Has everything a stadium could need, except facilities...

[Pablo]

My Fav is Dalymount cause we won there friday night :D

[Macy]

Yeah, the rest of the ground is pretty $hit but the Jodi is so far ahead of anything else in the league that it puts it up there.
Yeah, but we're talking about best ground, not best stand. Best stand in the league is the Jodi, but one stand doesn't make a decent ground. If you're going that way, Rovers will automatically have the best ground if they ever finish it - Tallaght has better facilities already than the Connaught Street side of Dalyer! ;)

[SÓC]

Depends

Richmond because there is usually good craic there with the City fans and any Pats fans over the age of 14, pity about the place itself, the little knackers and the woeful security.

Dalymount becuase the Jodi is miles ahead of anything in the league, the security is very good (when City play there at least) and you can get cheap drink.

Longford if they threw a roof over some of the seats and got a bar under the stand (I think they are working on both of these?) would IMO be the best.

[sparkey]

Originally Posted by Macy
but one stand doesn't make a decent ground.

I think Derry would take issue with you over a statement like that. "A Grade" Licence and All....... :D :D :D :D :D

[dcfc_legend9]

the best stadium has got to be turners cross. the worst has got to be pike rovers although the sheep shaggers from ballyofey come close to limerick.
:D :D :D

[dcfc_legend9]

Originally Posted by Sparkey

I think Derry would take issue with you over a statement like that. "A Grade" Licence and All.......

lads are yis that snappin that we have a UEFA "A" License

[Dodge]

I reckon most clubs would have got one if the closed over half the ground down in fairness

[pete]

Since you asked for favourite as opposed to best/worst...

Favourite - Dalymount, I know 3 sides of ground are bad but has best stand by long shot, hospitable bars underneath & food that edible + i can walk home.

Least Favourite - Belfield bad cos no atmosphere from home or away fans but gonna have to give to Richmond Park cos always hassle at the game eventhough one of better grounds for atmosphere.

[Dodge]

Yeah but has the atmosphere, the histiry, even the shape to be great. All its mssing is the facilities...

[pete]

Yeah but has the atmosphere, the histiry, even the shape to be great. All its mssing is the facilities...

Yup nice tight ground to so fans on top of players. Also was better when Pats fans in the shed & us ont he camac so opposing fans could see ach other. Something which Dalymount suffers from too. Richmond just doesn't give impression has moved forward much in recent years aside from tarmac behind the stand & basic terracing on the camac.

[Dodge]

Well Pats fans have always been on the camac side. Mightn’t have been the singers but always there. The Shed suffers from the Tony o’Dowd fence which gives it the worst view in Ireland. IF that comes down, the SEI will return home.

The new stand (when it gets going :rolleyes: will massively update the ground (in most ways…) but finances are dictating that’ll be a while off yet…

For all its many faults I’d rather Richmond to any other ground. Its one of the few grounds in Ireland that actually feels like a football ground (Sligo is another)

[monutdfc]

Can't believe that nobody has mentioned Sligo Rovers. Covered stands running the full length of both sides of the pitch, and without loads of pillars to obscure the view.

[Dodge]

I mentioned them...

[Réiteoir]

They are considering shifting the seats to the back of the Des Kelly / School End at Dalymount - thereby putting them under cover...

Plus a few other improvements in the pipeline...

[Gary]

Best : Flansiro and I must say, i quite liked Terryland. Great pitch and loads of potential for building another stand or two.

Worst: Jackman park was without doubt the worst i have ever seen, though St Mels gives it a good run for the money. If it wasnt for the bar in St Colmans, that would fairly grim as well.

Best Trip: Longford

Worst : Richmond. Ive never seen City win there.

[4tothefloor]

The worst grounds have to be any of my own club Limericks - Rathbane, Jackman Pk, Pike Rvs SG, and in saying that, Rathbane is like the San Siro compared to the Pike. But you also have to bear in mind that Limerick couldn't\can't do anything with these grounds as we don't own them. Best ground would be Tolka, or Turners Cross. Never been to Flancare.

I have to say though that the Brandywell looks absolutely appalling on tv. No offence to Derry fans, but it looks like a right s.hithole, the pitch is like an accident created in the middle of, er, I don't know how to describe it. Looked terrible on EW the other night. The irony is, even though its the only ground with an A license, it looks the worst! (out of all the Premier clubs that is)

[the 12 th man]

buddy of mine played an fai cup match in a place called "tra na locha"(spelling ??) in donegal.he was playing for st james gate of dublin against a local team and it was a replay after a draw in dublin.

there was loads of needle involved and there was a big hostile crowd.he said the dressing rooms were miles from the pitch and you had to walk right through the oppositions supporters to get to the pitch !!!!!!!.he said they got pelted with chips, burgers and whatever came to hand.just imagine rovers playing a match up there :D

[dortie]

Dalymount and Turners Cross, both nice grounds.

The sheepshaggers cow shed in Balybofey has to be the worst followed by Belfield and Inchicore

[Éanna]

The cross and the flansiro are the best IMO. Tolka is a kip with seats.

Worst would have to be Pike Rovers and St Mels,although Queenstown would be in the running too

[Aberdonian Stu]

Tolka is a kip with seats.


Have to agree there, I utterly hate Tolka even though it's all seater. The new stand is nice but I hate the rest of the ground.

Best is probably Flancare, but Dalyer is pretty good, just the uncovered side isn't great (sat there for the Rosenberg game).

Worst, aside from Tolka, would be Bray and Richmond. Both just ugly grounds with nothing appealing about them whatsoever (and yes I know I support a team that plays in Belfield but to be honest I prefer Belfield).

[markdit]

fave ground is waterford rsc, altho its only 1 main stand the rest isnt great but the view from the stand couldnt be better. worst is belfield

[A face]

fave ground is waterford rsc, altho its only 1 main stand the rest isnt great but the view from the stand couldnt be better.


I would have said that but the running track means you are very far away. RSC and Jodie stands are best in the league.

[Neish]

Best I've been to is probably Dalymount although from what I hear Flancare is the best.

Worst I've been to has to be Whitehall.

[the 12 th man]

fave ground is waterford rsc, altho its only 1 main stand the rest isnt great but the view from the stand couldnt be better. worst is belfield

saw the match against shels on chorus sports tv.the atmosphere
and the pitch looked excellent.where did the big flags come from,anyone know???

[LukeO]

Leaving aside Dalyer (I don't want to be biased) here is how I would rank eL grounds

1. Flancare Park
2. Turner's X
3. Tolka (as éanna said it really is a kip with seats, i hate it)
4. Waterford (its a pity there's only one stand there)
5. Richmond
6. Brandywell
7. Showgrounds
8. Buckley Park
9. Terryland
10. Oriel Park
11. Century Homes
12. United Park (not fit for the premier div)
13. Kildare (very very small, but that little stand is allright)
14. Ballybofey
15. Belfield
16. Carlisle Grounds (kip, but with plans to improve)
17. St. Colman's
18. St. Mels (kip)
19. Pike Rovers (absolute kip)
20. Tallaght Stadium :D

I haven't been to all of the above, but I've been to most.

It's great to see clubs like Galway, Longford, Kilkenny, Athlone, Sligo etc. concentrating on getting their house in order and looking at the long-term future by having plans to improve their facilities rather than blowing all their money on some short-term success like Drogheda or Dublin City etc.

I still think the Jodi stand is by far the best stand in the league, but the rest of Dalyer needs some serious attention.

[Macy]

rather than blowing all their money on some short-term success like Drogheda or Dublin City etc.
btw What are Drogheda's plans for United Park? HTF are they going to get an A licence for infrastructure with that ground?

[blutil]

saw the match against shels on chorus sports tv.the atmosphere
and the pitch looked excellent.where did the big flags come from,anyone know???

the've been there for ages now, thanks to the IBSC as far as i know
http://www.mad-blaa.com/images/rsc.gif

[pete]

Can't believe anyone rates the RSC. I has one smallish stand & no terracing for rest of the ground. Down there last year & soaked to the skin in pi$$ing rain opposite the stand. Crowd so far from the pitch that poor atmosphere & pitch was poor last year although seems to be a bit better now.

[corkharps]

Can't believe anyone rates the RSC. I has one smallish stand & no terracing for rest of the ground. Down there last year & soaked to the skin in pi$$ing rain opposite the stand. Crowd so far from the pitch that poor atmosphere & pitch was poor last year although seems to be a bit better now.
I'd have to agree with that,even WFC are looking for a new ground!As for the Brandywell,Dogtrack?half the ground condemded?trying to get in is like standing in line at a soup kitchen! :D
Turners Cross and Dalymount are probably the best at the moment.
The Showgrounds and Terryland won't be far behind when complete.
Poor old Finn Park needs to be demolished and rebuilt.Proposed move to a new stadium on ice for the last year or so! :mad:

[eoinh]

Thread here about ground news. Galway seem to be getting their act together. See here (http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread?forumid=91456&messageid=1083748917)

[liam88]

The jungle below the Brandywell?

Move it up a bit mate! :rolleyes:

[Troy.McClure]

Worst = The RCS, how can anyone even think that its acceptable? Its one stand, and not even a very good one at that! Its a good 10 meters from the pitch and the rest of the "stadium" is made out of scaffolding, plastic and grass! Its even worse than that kip in Droghada.

I dont like Richmond or Tolka because the poles for the floodlights have a nack of getting in the way for important bits of the match and pi$$ me off in general (+ Tolka is so quiet except for the away fans).

Its cold and windy in an otherwise ok Flansiro and the Brandywell has a nice stand but its too far away from Cork.

That just leaves Dalymount as the best (coz Ive got to leave out the X) because it has the best stand in the league, propper floodlights that dont block your view, the Des Kelly shed so the little Bohz scuts can be kept away from the away fans, teletext in the bar afterwards so you can get the results of the other matches and has consistantly got the best pitch.

[BobtheDrog]

plans are in motion for a new stadium in drogheda thats why little has been done. have to say that i hated the RSC the stand is fine but the pitch is a joke and the atmosphere cud be described only as non existant

[Martinho II]

Premier Division top 3 grounds
1.bohemians (for the jodi stand)
2.shels
3.incicore(great atmosphere)

First Division top 3
1.Sligo Rovers(was there during the summer class stand stretching the length of the stand
2.kilkenny brand new nice stand
3.galway utd(always love heading up to galway)

all time bottom 3.
3.waterford
2.brandywell(both too far from the action)
1.smells park(kip)

[TommyT]

For all its many faults I’d rather Richmond to any other ground. Its one of the few grounds in Ireland that actually feels like a football ground (Sligo is another)


Since it's not actually ''ours'' I'd agree with that, and about Sligo, I'd throw in Drogheda aswell though.

Two most over-rated are the Flan Siro (no roof, **** roof) and Buckley Park (polesville aswell)

[Wiseguy]

I don't know what my fav ground is as they all have different things going for them.Dalyer has the best stand by a mile but that's it.Tolka is all seater but you can't see anything out of the stand as the poles & dugouts are in the way.Utd Park is a bit of a hole but the atmosphere can be good but now that only season ticket holders are allowed in to the bar it is a bit of a joke but yet another way that the Drogs board are shooting themselves in the foot.Inchicore is alright as it has a good atmosphere and the Town always seem to well there plus the Pat's fans seem to be the nicest of all the Dub clubs.Turners Cross is good as there is great craic with the city fans ( plus Cork is 2nd Fav Club after De' Town ) but it is so far away it's a pain in the Hole.The Brandywell is ok but that is to far away aswell.The same goes for the RSC plus the fact that there is only one stand and it's to far from the pitch.The Burgers are terrible there aswell.Most of the 1st Div grounds are alright with the Showgrounds being the best & Mel's Park the Worst.That just leaves me with Flancare.It is defo one of the best no matter what anyone says but there is room for improvement.More seats need covering and the bar needs to open with both of these on the way.There also needs to be another entrance into the ground to cut down on the queues but other than that it's an excellent facility.

[Drogman.]

I think of all the grounds that I've been I'd rate the worst ground on atmosphere rather than infrastructure as to be honest, the infrastructure in football grounds in this country is terrible.
The worst atmophere I've been to would have to be the RSC. One stand with no support, and a running track miles away from the pitch. Our place is not too bad, granted it's not pretty to look at but the atmosphere can be brilliant when a decent crowd turns up.
The best ground I've been to would have to be Tolka, its comfortable and when its full it can be very noisey. I've yet to be a Tuners Cross so my choice for best may change.

Plans are underway for a new stadium up our way, a site has been found, plans have been drawin up and agreements between the Council's of Drogheda and Meath (As it will be over the border). But as ever we here nothing else so I'm not going to hold my breath :(