The Club launched their "Buy a Sod" fundraising effort in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel on Tuesday night. Speakers at the launch included new League Chairman Brendan Dillion, Mayor of Athlone Kieran Molloy and head of the Chamber of Commerce Healy Hynes. Town Chairman Paddy McCaul spoke about the first phase of the development which involved accquiring the site, and getting backing from the FAI. He also spoke of all the good memories of Mel's and welcomed past managers Turlough and Michael O'Connor. He also told the gathering that the FAI have said further funding will be made available if Athlone can match the funding for the first grant.
Mayor Molloy spoke next, and went back four years to when the idea was first brought to Athlone Town Council and Westmeath County Council, and that it was now high time to move onto Phase 2. He also informed the crowd that Saint Mel's Park will be retained for football, and no houses will be built on it. Along with Chairman Dillion and Breffni Rowan of the ADSL he also spoke of the fantastic complex that will be available once the project is complete, complimented by the Town Council's Regional Sports Centre, which will also have two new grass pitches installed, along with the state of the art astro turf pitch already present.
The new League Chairman Brendan Dillion was next to speak. Dillion was elected to the post four days earlier at the same hotel, and was delighted to be making his first public appearance in Athlone. After talking about Athlone's great past, he bluntly told everybody that if this project was not brought ot fruition, the Town would have no future. He also stated that this project was more important that a few years in the Premier Division, to the long term future of the Club. He then proceeded to talk about the League in general, mentioning the new UEFA Licencing Laws, and marketing the League, stating that we play in an Irish League, with Irish players and that he was very proud of the eL. It is an Irish product, despite people's tendancy to knock things Irish, referring to the Premiership.
Next Declan & Orla Browne went into the details of the "Buy a Sod" initiative. Contrary to reports in the Westmeath last week, the Club hope to raise alot more than E7,000. Sods are available at E50 each, with corner flags costing E200, dugouts, semi-circle and penalty areas costing E250. The goalposts cost E1,000 each. By the end of the night, the two goalposts, semi-circle and a number of other areas had already been sold. Declan also stated that the first sod had been sold to an ex-Gentex player now in England, who had rang the Club looking to buy the first sod. Later, he was questioned as to whether the Club were selling themselves short at E50 a sod. Mr. Browne said the Club did a market survery and that from 200 people surveyed, 150 said they would purchase a sod at E50, while only ten said they would pay E100 a sod. Club Chairman McCaul also said you can buy two sods :)
Mr Tom Burke was then introduced to the crowd. Mr Burke will be managing the whole project. He spoke about Athlone being a historically soccer town, but the future of the Club needed the support of the town's people. Failure is not an option.
The meeting was then opened to questions from the floor. The first one being about the timescale. The answer was that the Club will be playing in the new stadium for the start of the 2004 season. The Club must be in by then because of the new Licencing Laws, and that it would cost too much to re-do Saint Mel's. This was backed up by Dillion who stated that Mel's is not an option.
Answering other questions about costing, the Club said that the tenders for the initial works will be returned in the next fortnight, and the pitch should be layed by May. The Club has the funds to get the project up and running and will fund it phase by phase.
The main theme of the night, from the top table to the floor was that this needed the full support of the people of Athlone, and that this project will totally transform Athlone Town AFC, bringing it back to the top of Irish Soccer.
