Disused LOI football grounds

[TheBoss]

What was the Shelbourne home game played in Belfield Park?

I remember the Shamrock Rovers one (Pete Mahon's first game in charge; a 2-0 loss with Hugh Davey sent off), but not the Shels one.

It was apparently in the November 1980 against UCD, which ended 2-2.

[JC_GUFC]

Shame. Glad the greyhound racing will be gone, but would be an ideal location for Shels to relocate in their traditional catchment area if they had any money. Will just be houses now.

You're getting your Greyhound Stadia mixed up there. They're selling Harold's Cross, presumably for residential purposes.
Shelbourne Park will remain where they previously played.

[The Donie Forde]

Yep. It boils down to this. Someone in Francis (ALan Duncan) approached Pats about a merger as was looking to move up in the FAI world. Pats (Dolan) agreed, thinking Pats would get Baldonnel. As the league season was about a week away Francis pulled out of the league. About 2 months later it became clear that Pats wouldn't be allowed near Baldonnell and your man wouldn't be allowed near any decision making at Pats

So it stopped. Thankfully

Your man Duncan went on to nearly ruin Rovers too

Is that a bit of revisionism, Dodge?
I have a copy of 'The Dublin Saint' - St Patrick's Athletic (inc St Francis) vs Cork City, dated 17 Feb 2002.
There were only 6 league games after that, so clearly it went on for the season - or am I wrong?

[The Donie Forde]

Regarding Dundalk:
The old Athletic Ground was at the (old) greyhound racing track in town, behind the cathedral. Now housing I think?
The single game played at the Marist college grounds was probably just on the school's playing fields, which are presumably still there.
We also played competitive home games at Bellurgan United's ground (Longford, League Cup 96, ground still there and is use), Richmond Park (a League Cup tie v Pats 05 reversed), Dalymount and Tolka (Europe)

If you add in Europe, off the top of my head you can add these home grounds:
Dalyer- Dundalk (Zurich), Drogheda many, Sporting Fingal (Maritimo)
Tolka- UCD (Everton), Bray (Trabz), Dundalk (Varteks)
Lansdowne- Limerick (Real), Waterford (MU, Celtic), Shels (Depo)
Tallaght- Pats (Karpaty), Drogheda (Malmo)
RDS- Pats (Steaua) others at RDS?
Oriel- Bohs (Dresden)
Carraroe- Galway
Crowley Park- Galway
Flower Lodge- Bohs (Omonia), Pezoporikos!
Prenton Park- Shels (Rangers)
Brandywell- Omagh Town!

City played Bayern at Musgrave Park as well. The League match v Shams was a 'dry run' for that, from a hosting point of view.

[The Donie Forde]

Donie might set me right here, but I'd assume that's The Showgrounds, which would make sense as it was only a stones throw from Ford's. If that's right, you can add it to the list.

Yeah, that would be the Showgrounds, though (have to admit) I never spotted the Fordsons on the stand there. Fordsons (LOI club) never had it as a home venue.

[MeathDrog]

If you're inclined to include European games, you can add this (http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=1986/matches/round=599/match=4279/postmatch/lineups/index.html) for Galway United.

Not disused, just not used for soccer any more.

I'm intrigued by this. Any more info on the ground and why it was played there? The notion of a European game in a Gaeltacht is very novel.

[bennocelt]

I'm intrigued by this. Any more info on the ground and why it was played there? The notion of a European game in a Gaeltacht is very novel.

TG4 did a great doc on it a year or so ago.

[Titan]

Yep. It boils down to this. Someone in Francis (ALan Duncan) approached Pats about a merger as was looking to move up in the FAI world. Pats (Dolan) agreed, thinking Pats would get Baldonnel. As the league season was about a week away Francis pulled out of the league. About 2 months later it became clear that Pats wouldn't be allowed near Baldonnell and your man wouldn't be allowed near any decision making at Pats

So it stopped. Thankfully

Your man Duncan went on to nearly ruin Rovers too

Didn't pats have the St Francis crest on the sleeve of their jersey for a season?

[The Donie Forde]

Didn't pats have the St Francis crest on the sleeve of their jersey for a season?

It was certainly on the programme I mentioned above.

[trevy]

Yeah Kilcohan Park still used as a greyhound stadium. Waterford United left there in the early 90's.

[oriel]

I'm intrigued by this. Any more info on the ground and why it was played there? The notion of a European game in a Gaeltacht is very novel.


That game has a full chapter in the excellent book 'gods v mortals' 10 classic LOI club matches in Europe'

Treat yourself to it this Xmas, it first came out 2 years ago.

[MeathDrog]

That game has a full chapter in the excellent book 'gods v mortals' 10 classic LOI club matches in Europe'

Treat yourself to it this Xmas, it first came out 2 years ago.
I bought this for the aul lad a few years ago. Must have a look for it. Ta.

[thischarmingman]

That game has a full chapter in the excellent book 'gods v mortals' 10 classic LOI club matches in Europe'

Treat yourself to it this Xmas, it first came out 2 years ago.

Anyone know where I can buy this online? Wouldn't mind getting it for someone this Christmas.

[Charlie Darwin]

You're getting your Greyhound Stadia mixed up there. They're selling Harold's Cross, presumably for residential purposes.
Shelbourne Park will remain where they previously played.
No, I'm saying Shels would be better off on the southside than in Drumcondra.

[Dodge]

Didn't pats have the St Francis crest on the sleeve of their jersey for a season?

Yep. They didn't remove them


Is that a bit of revisionism, Dodge?
I have a copy of 'The Dublin Saint' - St Patrick's Athletic (inc St Francis) vs Cork City, dated 17 Feb 2002.
There were only 6 league games after that, so clearly it went on for the season - or am I wrong?

They were too cheap to change the design. The Programme was printed on a template each week

The merger didn't happen. It was dead mid-season. Francis entered the LSL as soon as they could (and still play in Baldonnel)

[wonder88]

St Pats also had "exciting plans" to play a game in the old Foxboro Stadium in Boston. It was to be held on Saint Patrick's day, against Bohs I think, and a crowd of 25,000 was going to go to it (according to Pat Doolan). However the spoilsports in the Dept. of Foreign Affairs' under a Kerryman at the time; who were expected to pay for the trip, did not come up with the money and the game was played in Inchicore instead. Foxboro Stadium was demolished and rebuild and is called Gillette now, and MLS and American football is played there. Would this be the greatest distance a LoI team travelled to play a home game?

ps I think the press call of the amalgamation of St Pats and St Francis was one of the best in Irish soccer. Anyone know who St Francis was that day?

[dejadem]

If you add in Europe, off the top of my head you can add these home grounds:
Dalyer- Dundalk (Zurich), Drogheda many, Sporting Fingal (Maritimo)
Tolka- UCD (Everton), Bray (Trabz), Dundalk (Varteks)
Lansdowne- Limerick (Real), Waterford (MU, Celtic), Shels (Depo)
Tallaght- Pats (Karpaty), Drogheda (Malmo)
RDS- Pats (Steaua) others at RDS?
Oriel- Bohs (Dresden)
Carraroe- Galway
Crowley Park- Galway
Flower Lodge- Bohs (Omonia), Pezoporikos!
Prenton Park- Shels (Rangers)
Brandywell- Omagh Town!

Also Dundalk - Malmo in United Park.

Dalyer- Dundalk (Zurich), Drogheda many, Sporting Fingal (Maritimo)
* many = HJK, IK Start, AC Libertas, Helsingborg, Levadia, Dynamo Kiev.

[gufcfan]

I'm intrigued by this. Any more info on the ground and why it was played there? The notion of a European game in a Gaeltacht is very novel.


TG4 did a great doc on it a year or so ago.

It was filmed in 2006. 24 minute documentary iirc.

Long story short, GUFC needed a venue and for whatever reason (can't remember why exactly) no suitable one was available in Galway and the GAA told them where to go.

The GAA pitch in Carraroe is community owned and soccer was played on it until a full-size all-weather facility was built across the road a few years back.

They offered the use of it for the match and the inspectors obviously were happy with it. It doesn't and didn't have any seats, but the dressing rooms were top notch (for the mid-80s) and there was a covered stand. Stand being the operative word there. It was said in the doc that the facilities for the players and officials were on a par with those in the English top flight at the time.

[Dodge]

St Pats also had "exciting plans" to play a game in the old Foxboro Stadium in Boston. It was to be held on Saint Patrick's day, against Bohs I think, and a crowd of 25,000 was going to go to it (according to Pat Doolan). However the spoilsports in the Dept. of Foreign Affairs' under a Kerryman at the time; who were expected to pay for the trip, did not come up with the money and the game was played in Inchicore instead. Foxboro Stadium was demolished and rebuild and is called Gillette now, and MLS and American football is played there.

It was Shels

http://www.independent.ie/sport/st-pats-set-to-face-shels-in-boston-26127104.html
http://irishecho.com/2011/02/shelbourne-and-st-pats-may-play-at-foxboro-2/

Didn't hear who got the blame for it not happening but I'd like to think it was common sense more than anything


Would this be the greatest distance a LoI team travelled to play a home game?
In the league that honour would now go to your beloved hoops I'd imagine

[wonder88]

In relation to Galway the Ballinderrin pitch was also community owned so that got around the GAA ban. It would have been easier to get public grants if a pitch was community owned at that time, and both were new/redeveloped grounds. A good policy I think, as there is a danger that facilities that are privately owned may be sold to benefit the owners after public money had been given to them. Big money is being made out of the re-financing of the soccer half of Lansdowne Road. That is why the Shamrock Rovers model is the best.

A bit off topic. Was Ireland the first team to visit/play Chile after Pinochet took over in that country. The USSR refused to play them in the second leg of a world cup play-off. Ireland of course had a big win against the Soviets 40 years on Halloween night.

[gufcfan]

In relation to Galway the Ballinderrin pitch was also community owned so that got around the GAA ban. It would have been easier to get public grants if a pitch was community owned at that time, and both were new/redeveloped grounds. A good policy I think, as there is a danger that facilities that are privately owned may be sold to benefit the owners after public money had been given to them.

True about it being a good model, although the thing with the Carraroe pitch is that committee was almost always pro-GAA, so the soccer club would often get held to ransom for rent. I reckon it was so that the club would never get any ideas about developing an underage setup or anything like that. They trained and played in Galway city because of it for a number of years.


A bit off topic. Was Ireland the first team to visit/play Chile after Pinochet took over in that country. The USSR refused to play them in the second leg of a world cup play-off.

Yeah, the USSR refused to play because it was in the stadium where Pinochet had anyone that disagreed with him publicly executed when his American backed coup was successful.

Dunphy got **** over it for going, because he was so outspoken usually about such matters.

[orielabu]

More LOI grounds trivia.
In its first LOI season (1926-27), Dundalk was renting the Athletic Grounds (predominantly a GAA pitch) on a match basis.
When these grounds were not available, matches were played on the Recreation Grounds of local cigarette and tobacco company P J Carroll & Co Ltd.
The League visit of Shelbourne to the Carroll Recreation grounds on Dec 12th 1926 was a sell out, setting a season gate record of £156, an attendance estimated at almost 5,000. Many hundreds got in free, ‘when the gates were rushed by an over anxious crowd who feared disappointment at not being able to see the game.’ The Democrat reported that ‘there were several thousand from Dublin.’
For the Shield fixture against Bray Unknowns scheduled for St. Patrick’s Day 1929, the club moved to Blackrock, the seaside village about three miles from Dundalk,there being no other ground available in Dundalk on that day.

[TonyD]

Yep. It boils down to this. Someone in Francis (ALan Duncan) approached Pats about a merger as was looking to move up in the FAI world. Pats (Dolan) agreed, thinking Pats would get Baldonnel. As the league season was about a week away Francis pulled out of the league. About 2 months later it became clear that Pats wouldn't be allowed near Baldonnell and your man wouldn't be allowed near any decision making at Pats

So it stopped. Thankfully

Your man Duncan went on to nearly ruin Rovers too

Not all he did at Pats either, (allegedly).

[littlebray]

Back to the list: Limerick used Pike Rovers ground in 2003 as well.

Has anyone any further details on Bray Unknowns at Shelbourne Park? I only had them in Woodbrook and the Carlisle.

[TheBoss]

Back to the list: Limerick used Pike Rovers ground in 2003 as well.

Has anyone any further details on Bray Unknowns at Shelbourne Park? I only had them in Woodbrook and the Carlisle.

They only played there on 2 occassions in 1929 v Shelbourne and 1939 v Shamrock Rovers.

[Dodge]

Home grounds used for league games for Pats;

Richmond Park 726
Harolds Cross 73
Dalymount Park 45
Milltown 33
Chapelizod 17
Tolka Park 2

[TheBoss]

Home grounds used for league games for Pats;

Richmond Park 726
Harolds Cross 73
Dalymount Park 45
Milltown 33
Chapelizod 17
Tolka Park 2

On my list, I have Pats at Harolds Cross for 74 games (All home matches between Sep 1989-Nov 1993) and Dalymount Park for 44 games, did Pats play once at Dalymount Park between 1989 and 1993?

[Dodge]

Pays played Shamrock Rovers in Tolka in Sept 1993. Game was originally a Rovers away game scheduled for the RDS. RDS was unavailable so Rovers looked to swap. Pats said no as they were hoping to play first game in re-opened Richmond park against Rovers in late November.

The league decided to swap the fixtures and pats had to use Tolka park as harolds Cross wasn't available

[BonnieShels]

What was the ground in Chapelizod that Pat's used?

[Dodge]

It's an industrial estate now. Near the Church. It was a Greyhound track (and hosted Speedway too)

[seand]

It's an industrial estate now. Near the Church. It was a Greyhound track (and hosted Speedway too)


We do like our dog tracks in the League of Ireland! Harold's Cross, Shelbourne Park, Brandywell, Thurles Town, Cork Bohs, plus Pats at Chapelizod and Dundalk at the Athletic Grounds. There's probably others....

On the animal sports front didn't Rovers play at the show jumping arena when they played in the RDS? I seem to remember hearing about players getting tetanus jabs before playing there, but that could be rubbish.

[pineapple stu]

They played there alright in the mid 90s, though no different to how Leinster play there now.

[Dodge]

Pats have used it twice for European games too.

[Comic Book Guy]

Don't know if it has been mentioned in this thread before, Cobh Ramblers played two home league fixtures at Turner's Cross in March 2007 (v Limerick 37 and Harps) while St.Colman's was having work done to it.

[Sheridan]

Great list, TheBoss. Doesn't seem to be on the list, but Dublin City played their final season at Dalymount Park (though not officially, since all those results were expunged!) Also played UCD "at home" at Belfield in 2005, but that was in the League Cup.

[JC_GUFC]

We do like our dog tracks in the League of Ireland! Harold's Cross, Shelbourne Park, Brandywell, Thurles Town, Cork Bohs, plus Pats at Chapelizod and Dundalk at the Athletic Grounds. There's probably others....



Galway Sportsgrounds and Waterford's Kilcohan Park.

I keep forgetting if Longford Town ever played in the Longford Greyhound Stadium.

[Paddyfield]

What about Abbetycarlton in Longford. The stand was a shed with about 20 looses chairs. There was a slant at one end of the pitch which caused a ball to roll from the spot for free kicks.


Longford Town's first ever official game at their current home was a League Cup game against Galway United. The perimiter fence was rope and and there was no outer wall of entrance. They returned to Abeeycarlton after that until more work was done. I actually took a few photos at that first ever game. The venue has since evolved in to one of the best in the country.

[Longfordian]

Galway Sportsgrounds and Waterford's Kilcohan Park.

I keep forgetting if Longford Town ever played in the Longford Greyhound Stadium.

We did for a lot of our pre LOI years.

[Dermotron]

Pretty sure Buckley Park is still used for some Kilkenny district league matches.

It was being used by the Army for the inter-barracks matches but this season local junior side Newpark FC have started using it. No idea what agreement they have with the owners of the ground but it's good to see it's not totally disused. It's a shame the local junior finals aren't played there as the KDL owns its own grounds if you continue up passed Buckley Park, which of course need a few quid on the gate to maintain.

[Martinho II]

What about Abbetycarlton in Longford. The stand was a shed with about 20 looses chairs. There was a slant at one end of the pitch which caused a ball to roll from the spot for free kicks.


Longford Town's first ever official game at their current home was a League Cup game against Galway United. The perimiter fence was rope and and there was no outer wall of entrance. They returned to Abeeycarlton after that until more work was done. I actually took a few photos at that first ever game. The venue has since evolved in to one of the best in the country.

Paddyfield I would love to see those photos please. Would it be ok to pm me and I can give you my email address. My brother runs our website and I would like to think there would be interest in those photos. I will make sure you will get the credit for it.

[Martinho II]

We did for a lot of our pre LOI years.

we were there from when we were founded I believe until we were forced out by the local Council in 1972. We then moved to Abbeycartron where we stayed there for 21 more years.

[Charlie Darwin]

Paddyfield I would love to see those photos please. Would it be ok to pm me and I can give you my email address. My brother runs our website and I would like to think there would be interest in those photos. I will make sure you will get the credit for it.
Is your brother Martinho I? Or Martinho III? IV?

[Martinho II]

Is your brother Martinho I? Or Martinho III? IV?

no pauro 7!

[Acornvilla]

no pauro 7!
What happened to the other 5 of ye? :D

[Paddyfield]

Paddyfield I would love to see those photos please. Would it be ok to pm me and I can give you my email address. My brother runs our website and I would like to think there would be interest in those photos. I will make sure you will get the credit for it.

No prob. I will have to do a bit of digging. The photos are B&W and were of new signings for GUFC. They were close ups so there's nothing in the background. I think it might have been Joey Malone's first game in charge of Longford.

[Captain2007]

We do like our dog tracks in the League of Ireland! Harold's Cross, Shelbourne Park, Brandywell, Thurles Town, Cork Bohs, plus Pats at Chapelizod and Dundalk at the Athletic Grounds. There's probably others....

On the animal sports front didn't Rovers play at the show jumping arena when they played in the RDS? I seem to remember hearing about players getting tetanus jabs before playing there, but that could be rubbish.

Kilcohan Park Waterford for the Dogs! and you are right about the tetanus jab for the RDS.

[Professor K]

Great thread. From 2008 to 2014, besides Shamrock Rovers v Sligo Rovers at Tolka Park before the Real Madrid friendly, have any Premier Division or First Division games not taken place at a club's home venue?

[Patrick Dunne]

Galway United played Shelbourne in a "home" match at Harolds Cross towards the end of the 1993-1994 season. United were using Crowley Park (home ground of Galwegians RFC) as a home venue that season while Terryland Park was being developed. There was an issue with the availability/condition of Crowley Park for the Shelbourne match, so it was moved to Dublin.

[TheBoss]

Great thread. From 2008 to 2014, besides Shamrock Rovers v Sligo Rovers at Tolka Park before the Real Madrid friendly, have any Premier Division or First Division games not taken place at a club's home venue?

In 2012, SD Galway (Salthill Devon) played their all matches bar one at Terryland Park, the other was at Drom in July v Wexford Youths.

[Martinho II]

I know with us there was a few occasions in our early LOI Days when we were in Abbeycartron that we had to play our games at Longford Rugby Ground... this would have being in the period from 1984 to 1993