Festus
13/08/2002, 9:41 PM
It is perhaps fair to say that the football grounds of Dublin's Premier division teams are drastically sub-standard. Dalymount Park is a crumbling concrete edifice. Inchicore is minute, and Shamrock Rovers have struggled for years to build an extremely modest 6,000 seater ground in Tallaght. Only Tolka Park is half decent, and even it is somewhat delapidated. I cannot think of one ground in the country that has an electronic score board, which is surely pretty rudimentary at this level?
Huge numbers of people in Dublin attend matches every week. They go to Old Trafford, Anfield, Parkhead etc. When they've seen grounds like those, they see eL grounds in a whole new light.
My point is this: Instead of trying to maintain these empty husks of football stadia sperately, shouldn't a number of clubs pool their resources and build one decent modern stadium in which to play? Nothing fancy, not a Bertie Bowl or an eircom Park, but a 20,000 all seater ground with all the stands covered, under soil heating plus perhaps decent training facilities adjacent ie the basics in professional soccer? Dublin is so small that no fan would be too far away from a well located ground. Funding could be raised by selling the old grounds for development, with the proviso that there not demolished until the new home is complete. Just an idea. Any opinions?
Huge numbers of people in Dublin attend matches every week. They go to Old Trafford, Anfield, Parkhead etc. When they've seen grounds like those, they see eL grounds in a whole new light.
My point is this: Instead of trying to maintain these empty husks of football stadia sperately, shouldn't a number of clubs pool their resources and build one decent modern stadium in which to play? Nothing fancy, not a Bertie Bowl or an eircom Park, but a 20,000 all seater ground with all the stands covered, under soil heating plus perhaps decent training facilities adjacent ie the basics in professional soccer? Dublin is so small that no fan would be too far away from a well located ground. Funding could be raised by selling the old grounds for development, with the proviso that there not demolished until the new home is complete. Just an idea. Any opinions?