Originally Posted by oldspice
In order for clubs to be able to make improvements to their grounds, they need to own their own grounds, or, at the very least, have a long term lease. We were very lucky for years to be located at the same pitch, which while not being the best in the county, was a long way from being the worst. Over the years, a lot of work was carried out including building dressing rooms, (basic but effective), boundary walls and drainage work. Games were only ever called off if a full programme was postponed. However, at the end of last season, through no fault of the landowner I have to stress, we were forced to move out and search for a new pitch. What we have now, is a decent pitch by Clare league standards, but no long term agreement. There is absolutely no incentive to put any work into the grounds, as at any time, we may find ourselves having to move on. I also know that Tulla Utd. who are currently playing on one of the worst pitches in the league, have done great fundraising over the years with a view to purchasing and developing their own grounds, but now, with money in the bank, can't find a suitable venue that is available to buy. In urban areas, there is an onus on local authorities to provide land for recreational activities such as soccer but that isn't the case in rural areas. While most pitches in Limerick are of a higher standard, once you go out of the city and larger towns, from my experience, many of the pitches are just like our own. (not all of them I admit, but you will notice that the decent ones usually have a lot of money behind them .... Ballingarry etc.).
