Residents oppose Salthill Devon FC building a Stand

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20/07/2010, 9:10 PM
Paddyfield

Residents oppose Salthill Devon FC building a Stand

http://www.galwaynews.ie/14020-resid...-football-club

RESIDENTS OPPOSE PLANS TO UPGRADE SALTHILL FOOTBALL CLUB

July 20, 2010

Residents living close to Salthill Devon football club are opposing its plans to upgrade the facility citing safety concerns over traffic flow.

The club has applied for permission to build a new access road and parking as well as a new spectator stand at its site in Drum East, Tonabrokey.

In a letter to county planners, they state that the increase in traffic because of a new stand would "only add further strain on a road network that would not be out of place in a third world country".
20/07/2010, 9:15 PM
Jofspring

Ya the road up there is the worst road i have ever drove on in Ireland. You need a 4x4 with all the bumps and ups and downs on the road. Thought i was gone miles too far until we met someone and asked for directions. Class facility, shocking roads.
20/07/2010, 9:17 PM
osarusan

Jofspring you beat me to it. That winding lane out to the ground would never handle the traffic of a construction site. The road would need to be upgraded first I'd say (if that's the only way for the traffic to get there).
20/07/2010, 9:31 PM
Darkglasses

Yeah sure people will be coming in their droves when they get a stand. Rubbish. Most likely they'll be going straight back down to the A Championship in a couple of months, and rightly so. They won't need a stand then...
20/07/2010, 9:41 PM
Paddyfield

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkglasses

Yeah sure people will be coming in their droves when they get a stand. Rubbish. Most likely they'll be going straight back down to the A Championship in a couple of months, and rightly so. They won't need a stand then...

Salthill Devon are in a better financial state than most other Clubs in the League. Whilst I wish they were never admitted to the League, they run a good ship off the field and are in it for the long run. I believe that their operating costs are in the region of €55,000 for the season. They sold 700 season tickets eventhough most I reckon 650 of them weren't uses even once.

Mervue United have also applied for PP to build a 700 seater stand at their own facility which on the east of the city near GMIT.

Two other Galway city clubs are also building new impressive facilities (Corrib Rangers and Renmore FC) although neither have ambitions to join the LOI.
21/07/2010, 1:39 AM
bullit

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkglasses

Yeah sure people will be coming in their droves when they get a stand. Rubbish. Most likely they'll be going straight back down to the A Championship in a couple of months, and rightly so. They won't need a stand then...

said kettle to blackarse.
Develop surely @Salthill,if the cash is available then go for it.
Years ago at my own club and some directors thought that money could be made at this game and offered "pits" for people to stand in,their thinking was that infrastructure was not for them working class hoors.:skywalker:
21/07/2010, 9:38 AM
Monkfish

What residents are these then? the wolves behind the sand dune end?
Fairplay to Salthill though, a small covered area is much needed where they are, stick in an app for a bar licence and you have one of the better LOI grounds to visit. (They already have the most entertaining fella on a PA system ever!!!!)
21/07/2010, 10:24 AM
atfconline

Does the groundsman still chase players out of the box with a pitch fork at halftime?
21/07/2010, 6:33 PM
GUFCghost

Are these lads out of their minds?There an under-age club.
21/07/2010, 7:50 PM
Tony Soprano

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paddyfield

Salthill Devon are in a better financial state than most other Clubs in the League. Whilst I wish they were never admitted to the League, they run a good ship off the field and are in it for the long run. I believe that their operating costs are in the region of €55,000 for the season. They sold 700 season tickets eventhough most I reckon 650 of them weren't uses even once.

Mervue United have also applied for PP to build a 700 seater stand at their own facility which on the east of the city near GMIT.

Two other Galway city clubs are also building new impressive facilities (Corrib Rangers and Renmore FC) although neither have ambitions to join the LOI.

imagine people's faces on here with 5 Galways clubs in the LOI !

do you think Mervue's crowds would be significantly bigger at Fahy's Field ?

of the two clubs (Salthill and Mervue) which do you think is the bigger, has more money and has more fans ?

Is Sathill's location at Drom a big problem do you think regarding attendances ?
21/07/2010, 8:22 PM
Paddyfield

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Soprano

imagine people's faces on here with 5 Galways clubs in the LOI !

do you think Mervue's crowds would be significantly bigger at Fahy's Field ?

of the two clubs (Salthill and Mervue) which do you think is the bigger, has more money and has more fans ?

Is Sathill's location at Drom a big problem do you think regarding attendances ?

Good questions .

I'm sure Mervue's crowds would be bigger if they played ad Fahy's Field because it is in Mervue. However, I suspect most of the Mervue United players don't actually hail from Mervue.

Salthill is probably the biggest football club in Connacht. Unfortunately, their ground is about 6km from Salthill. Up until about 6 years ago they played a Miller's Lane but sold it for mega bucks. It is located in the middle of a Knocknacarra, the biggest suburb of Galway with a population of 14,000. Knocknanrra is effectively an inland extension of Salthill .

Drom is a hard place to find for locals nevermind visiting fans. It is on a back road, away from any housing estates or shops. There is a road of about 30 large Celtic Tiger houses. Interstingly, Nick Leeson lives only a few hundred meters from Drum Park. The nearest bus stop is about 4km away.

It's also worth noting that Salthill/Knocknaarra has a strong GAA tradition with equally fine facilities next door to Pearse Stadium (which is only a few hundred meters from the seafront in Salthill).
22/07/2010, 12:25 AM
gufcfan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paddyfield

It is located in the middle of a Knocknacarra,Salthill).

The only place Drom is in the middle of is nowhere.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Soprano

do you think Mervue's crowds would be significantly bigger at Fahy's Field ?

The people who attend their matches in Terryland are mostly family members, away fans and bored/curious Galway United fans looking for a football fix.

If the turnout for the promotion play-off match they had in Fahy's Field is anything to go by, Mervue residents have no interest in watching Mervue in the League of Ireland. As I've mentioned before, I knew a lot of the people in attendance as curious Galway United fans.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Soprano

of the two clubs (Salthill and Mervue) which do you think is the bigger, has more money and has more fans ?

This may well sound like a dig and a bit rich coming from a Galway United fan at the moment, but neither team have a fan base to speak of. I'm guessing, but attendance figures would struggle to hit treble figures if it wasn't for away fans.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony Soprano

Is Sathill's location at Drom a big problem do you think regarding attendances ?

It must have some effect, but Mervue are in a much better location, although similar to Devon, are not near their original base and have similarly dismal attendances.
22/07/2010, 10:12 AM
WoodquayBoy

There was less than 300 people at the derby clash between the 2 in Drom at the weekend . . . which in itself was an increase in the 150 or so who went to the first derby in Terryland in April. And a good chunk of that crowd at the weekend was, like myself, made up of curious Galway United fans. As GUFCfan said, Mervue played their promotion play-off against Kildare in Fahy's Field and the attendance was pathetic, and this at a gorund which is in their heartland. Moving back to Fahy's Filed will do nothing apart from p*ssing off the local residents who will have to put up with an increase in traffic on match day night, as well as having the ground closed off. A lot of people go for walks in the area, including along by the pitch, but it will have to be closed off on match nights.
Devon have a great facility, but it is very open, needs a bit of cover like a stand, and to find it you have to go to the middle of nowhere, and then keep driving for a few miles. Only accessible by transport (walking is NOT recommended), and public transport is non existent in the area
22/07/2010, 11:12 PM
gufcfan

Quote:

Originally Posted by WoodquayBoy

Moving back to Fahy's Filed will do nothing apart from p*ssing off the local residents who will have to put up with an increase in traffic on match day night, as well as having the ground closed off. A lot of people go for walks in the area, including along by the pitch, but it will have to be closed off on match nights.

Mervue will never be granted planning permission to develop there. They would have to re-orientate or switch pitches as right of way always takes precedence.

Besides, the only reason they have planning permission in at all is to satisfy the licensing requirements.