Greyhound-football stadium groundshare

[citybone]

I know Derry currently do and Pats used too before. Anyone else? AFC Wimbledon are looking at moving into the greyhound stadium in Wimbledon in a few years time. I know derry want to make the brandywell a football only ground and the fans being soo far back from the pitch aint great. But has it ever worked?

[citybone]

Lisburn Distillery share a ground with a greyhound crowd. Poole Town FC a semi pro club suffered from poor crowds. Clyde in scotland used share but it didn't work either. Wimbledon may just go Football only. im sure there would be more spectators per year in a stadium than Greyhound/speedway or whatever.

[Mr A]

There is stock car racing at the Ballymena Showgrounds. They should totally have that and the football at the same time. And greyhounds as well. And feck it, a bit of javelin and hammer throwing as well.

[Overthemoon]

I think Shelbourne used to play in Shelbourne park which is a dog track, not sure if it was when they played there.

[CrowdedHouse]

Thurles Town !

[Dodge]

Markets Field in Limerick
Kilcohan Park in Waterford (I think)

Oh and Shels played in Harolds Cross more than Pats did...

Shelbourne park even hosted an FAI Cup final replay at one stage

[nigel-harps1954]

I think it's a poor idea. Even the likes of the RSC is annoying for being so far from the pitch.

[Longfordian]

LTFC used to play at the greyhound track in town up to the 60s or 70s I think.

[citybone]

did limerick play in Markets field the same time as the Greyhound? I though they moved out and then it became a greyhound ground. wont be a greyhound track when they move back in either.

[Iorfa2MaccaJim]

Markets Field in Limerick
Kilcohan Park in Waterford (I think)

Oh and Shels played in Harolds Cross more than Pats did...

Shelbourne park even hosted an FAI Cup final replay at one stage

Your spot on Dodge. When The Blues played at Kilcohan Park ( until 1993 I think), it was used for football and greyhound racing. It is used solely for greyhound racing now.

[Martinho II]

LTFC used to play at the greyhound track in town up to the 60s or 70s I think.

we played at the greyhound track in town from foundation 1924 to 1972 when we were kicked out by the greyhound crowd!

[Martinho II]

Your spot on Dodge. When The Blues played at Kilcohan Park ( until 1993 I think), it was used for football and greyhound racing. It is used solely for greyhound racing now.

yep 1993 is correct iorfa!

[holidaysong]

Did Shelbourne Park only become a greyhound stadium after SFC vacated it as their home?

[wonder88]

It used to be quite common in the LoI; Limerick, Waterford (big clubs at the time) Derry, Shels and Pats in Harolds X and Thurles Town. Galway also played a european game at the Sportsground; the greyhound stadium in town. Connacht rugby now play their games there and it seems to work ok for them. Apart from Waterford I am nearly sure there is no other League ground with a running track in the country, not sure about the north ?
There is a lovely little stadium down in Ringsend which I came across a few years ago with a running track, and which I think could make an excellent location for a league of Ireland team. Would Shels not consider it? A lot of people live/work in that area now who should be a target market for a soccer club as the old supporter base from which LoI fans came from is disappearing.

[Dodge]

That's Irishtown Stadium. Owned and run by dublin City Council

http://www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/SportsFacilities/LeisureCentres/Locations/pages/irishtownstadium.aspx

St Pats CY (of the LSL) play there.

I believe Shels played there in the mid 50s for a period of time.

Pats played in Chapelizod Stadium in the 1950s. It had greyhound and speedway in it too

[Sean South]

In the 1950s The Showgrounds in Sligo had a dog track too.

[orielabu]

Dundalk never quite made it to the local greyhound track but for its first ten years in the Free State League (1926/27 -1935/36) its home pitch was the Athletic Grounds (aka the ‘Young Irelanders’ field) that was next door to the Dundalk Greyhound track.
BTW, for those interested the Irish Football Handbooks, by Dave Galvin and Gerry Desmond, [4 editions 1991-92 to 1994-95] provide complete histories of League of Ireland grounds and of LOI clubs.

[Martinho II]

Dundalk never quite made it to the local greyhound track but for its first ten years in the Free State League (1926/27 -1935/36) its home pitch was the Athletic Grounds (aka the ‘Young Irelanders’ field) that was next door to the Dundalk Greyhound track.
BTW, for those interested the Irish Football Handbooks, by Dave Galvin and Gerry Desmond, [4 editions 1991-92 to 1994-95] provide complete histories of League of Ireland grounds and of LOI clubs.

is any spares of those handbooks orielabu as I am missing a few of those books!

[Iorfa2MaccaJim]

yep 1993 is correct iorfa!



Cheers Martinho.

[A face]

Your spot on Dodge. When The Blues played at Kilcohan Park ( until 1993 I think), it was used for football and greyhound racing. It is used solely for greyhound racing now.

Waterford played at another ground as well, i seem to remember the name began with O .... It was a short spell, handful of years iirc

I hate running tracks, greyhound tracks at grounds, kills the atmosphere stone dead.

[brendy_éire]

There is stock car racing at the Ballymena Showgrounds. They should totally have that and the football at the same time. And greyhounds as well. And feck it, a bit of javelin and hammer throwing as well.

For the life of me, I don't know why there isn't greyhound racing at Derry matches. Have a couple of races before the match, couple at half time. It'd be a bit of banter for the fans, and the greyhound people would generate interest in the races on other nights of the week.

[citybone]

For the life of me, I don't know why there isn't greyhound racing at Derry matches. Have a couple of races before the match, couple at half time. It'd be a bit of banter for the fans, and the greyhound people would generate interest in the races on other nights of the week.

could have the dogs on the same night as the derry games and get a bigger crowd.

[JC_GUFC]

Waterford played at another ground as well, i seem to remember the name began with O .... It was a short spell, handful of years iirc

I hate running tracks, greyhound tracks at grounds, kills the atmosphere stone dead.

The "home" of Junior Football in Waterford is Ozier Park. I imagine that's where you're thinking of. Don't remember Waterford ever playing there but I'm sure they must have played the odd game there. It was never a Greyhound Stadium.

Connacht rugby had a rugby/greyhound double header night once. Not sure it was much of a success.

[Straightstory]

Did Shelbourne Park only become a greyhound stadium after SFC vacated it as their home?
No. I used to see the odd game there about twenty years ago. It was always a greyhound track as far as I know.

[A face]

The "home" of Junior Football in Waterford is Ozier Park. I imagine that's where you're thinking of. Don't remember Waterford ever playing there but I'm sure they must have played the odd game there. It was never a Greyhound Stadium.

Thats the one, i think they had to play their games there for a while towards the end of a season, or something like that anyway.

[dejadem]

At the game in Tolka last night, there was an announcement about an event to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of Shelbourne's first game in Shelbourne Park, I didn't catch the detail.

[Dodge]

At the game in Tolka last night, there was an announcement about an event to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of Shelbourne's first game in Shelbourne Park, I didn't catch the detail.

It's a fundraiser at the Greyhounds.

[bad mongo]

Wembley? - shared with greyhound racing and speedway ( but not a club team AFAIK)