Sporting Fingal to play home games at Dalymount Park
Airtricity League club Sporting Fingal has announced they have reached a three-year agreement with Bohemians FC to use Dalymount Park for their home games from next season.
Fingal spent the club’s first three seasons in existence at the National Athletics Arena/Morton Stadium in Santry but, due to operational and FAI Club Licensing reasons, the decision of moving to Dalymount made sense.
Club Secretary John O'Brien said: “After three years competing in the Airtricity League of Ireland, we felt it appropriate to carry out an appraisal of our overall operation. We are immensely grateful for having had access to Morton Stadium since our birth. The reality is that, without the availability of Morton Stadium, Sporting Fingal could not have come into being. At this point in our existence, however, we have to plan the next phase of our development.
“We must always recognise that Morton is the National Athletics Arena and, acknowledging this, football has to fit in with the needs of Athletics in their spiritual home. It has not always been easy to manage our playing programme, particularly when revisions to the fixture list, replays etc. were necessary. It is due to the generosity and understanding of Athletics Ireland and Clonliffe Harriers that we have succeeded in fulfilling our fixtures to date. Despite their full cooperation, it proved difficult to manage our fixture schedule.
“While there may be some disappointment amongst our supporters at this decision to move, another consideration for us is the accessibility of Morton for our overall catchment. Approximately 40% of the population of Fingal lives in Dublin 15. We have long been conscious of the fact that Santry is not an easy place to get to from this area. Phibsborough, however, is readily accessible by public transport from most parts of the county.
“This arrangement does not affect our medium term plans to develop our own ground at Lusk.
“We are very thankful for the support and assistance the National Sports Campus Development Authority to us in our time in Morton. We are also very grateful to the Board of Bohemians for being so welcoming to us in our discussions. We look forward to a healthy and friendly relationship at Dalymount,” O’Brien concluded.
Sporting Fingal manager Liam Buckley added: “While we are thankful to Morton Stadium for having use of the venue in our formative years and hold many great memories from our time in Santry, we are looking forward to playing our matches in Dalymount Park for the next three seasons.
“The location of Dalymount, with its access to the Fingal population and further beyond, was an attractive aspect to the proposition. We were delighted with the turnout we got there in July for our first ever European tie CS Marítimo from Portugal.
“From a football perspective, too, Dalymount is acknowledged as having the best playing surface in the Airtricity League which lends itself to the team’s style of play.”
Originally Posted by The Lep
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