Markets Field Renovations??

**NeverFeltBetter** · 13/12/2013, 2:13 PM

http://www.limerickfc.ie/limerick-fc...field-progress

The initial phase of development is planned to allow The Markets Field to meet the Football Association of Ireland’s Licensing requirements. This will allow Airtricity League Premier Division competition to take place in the stadium and we now look forward to working with LEDP and continuing conversations to ensure that Limerick FC can call the stadium their home in the coming years.

As Limerick FC grow as a club and The Markets Field becomes an integral part of our city’s sporting fabric once again, the club look forward to investigating, in partnership with the LEDP, further phases of the stadium development in the future.

Limerick FC will continue to play our home matches in Thomond Park which will allow the LEDP the requisite time to fully complete the planned development to build The Markets Field into a stadium that epitomises the spirit of Limerick sport.

**bluewhitearmy** · 13/12/2013, 2:25 PM

Only good news from that statement is "Limerick FC will continue to play our home matches in Thomond Park"

The longer we can stay in Thomond the better with the plans there for the Markets Field.

**LFC Blue** · 21/12/2013, 11:49 AM

http://www.live95fm.ie/news/million-...-project/17185
More positive news this week with regards to funding for the development of the Markets Field with the Regeneration program pledging 1.1million euro to the project. This is fantastic and should insure further enhancements to the ground going forward. The club really have won the lottery with the LEDP and now the regeneration committee adding such financial clout to the whole project. A permanent home for our club in such an iconic venue will be secured without any cost to the club and people are still cribbing on this message board about it....the mind boggles..After nearly 30 years of false promises we are finally on the verge of moving to a permanent home. Does anyone have any up to date pictures of the newly laid playing surface they could throw up?

**Jofspring** · 21/12/2013, 11:54 AM

I have seen it mentioned that this is not additional money but money that was already expected to go towards what the are currently doing to the ground. Hopefully it's not the case but only time will tell I suppose.

**bluewhitearmy** · 21/12/2013, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by LFC Blue

http://www.live95fm.ie/news/million-...-project/17185
More positive news this week with regards to funding for the development of the Markets Field with the Regeneration program pledging 1.1million euro to the project. This is fantastic and should insure further enhancements to the ground going forward. The club really have won the lottery with the LEDP and now the regeneration committee adding such financial clout to the whole project. A permanent home for our club in such an iconic venue will be secured without any cost to the club and people are still cribbing on this message board about it....the mind boggles..After nearly 30 years of false promises we are finally on the verge of moving to a permanent home. Does anyone have any up to date pictures of the newly laid playing surface they could throw up?

You have absolutely no idea what the problems people have with it even are do you?

**NeverFeltBetter** · 21/12/2013, 12:17 PM

I would be stunned if they hadn't been discussing this amount of promised money for a long time.

**LFC Blue** · 21/12/2013, 3:51 PM

Originally Posted by bluewhitearmy

Only good news from that statement is "Limerick FC will continue to play our home matches in Thomond Park"

The longer we can stay in Thomond the better with the plans there for the Markets Field.

I'm not sure Pat O Sullivan would agree with this particular statement as he signs cheque after cheque payable to Thomond Park PLC for the use of roughly 15,000 seats which will never even be occupied from one end of the season to the next.

**Jofspring** · 21/12/2013, 3:55 PM

Originally Posted by LFC Blue

I'm not sure Pat O Sullivan would agree with this particular statement as he signs cheque after cheque payable to Thomond Park PLC for the use of roughly 15,000 seats which will never even be occupied from one end of the season to the next.

He will have to pay rent for the markets field also though. The club may have got a better deal on Thomond park also as Thomond park have got in some nice money from rent, food and drink that they wouldn't have had if limerick weren't renting so it's suits Thomond park to keep limerick there at the moment.

**LFC Blue** · 21/12/2013, 4:10 PM

Originally Posted by Jofspring

He will have to pay rent for the markets field also though. The club may have got a better deal on Thomond park also as Thomond park have got in some nice money from rent, food and drink that they wouldn't have had if limerick weren't renting so it's suits Thomond park to keep limerick there at the moment.

I would imagine the Markets Field rent will be nothing more than a token gesture. It is widely accepted that Limerick will be anchor tenents therefore where would the sense be in charging us big rent seen as we are the main reason the place is being developed. As regards the consumption of food and drink at Thomond Park i doubt very much with an average attendance of 1,000 people last season that it could be used as that much of a bargaining tool. Bottom line is renting a 26,000 capacity stadium for a team with an average attendance of 1000- 2000 is economical suicide and Thomond Park will never be a viable option for Limerick FC. The Markets Field is the perfect fit for us at the moment even with the small scale development of the ground which is outlined in the planning application and anyone that thinks otherwise is not being realistic.

**Jofspring** · 21/12/2013, 5:04 PM

Originally Posted by LFC Blue

I would imagine the Markets Field rent will be nothing more than a token gesture. It is widely accepted that Limerick will be anchor tenents therefore where would the sense be in charging us big rent seen as we are the main reason the place is being developed. As regards the consumption of food and drink at Thomond Park i doubt very much with an average attendance of 1,000 people last season that it could be used as that much of a bargaining tool. Bottom line is renting a 26,000 capacity stadium for a team with an average attendance of 1000- 2000 is economical suicide and Thomond Park will never be a viable option for Limerick FC. The Markets Field is the perfect fit for us at the moment even with the small scale development of the ground which is outlined in the planning application and anyone that thinks otherwise is not being realistic.

From what has been said the markets field rent won't be only a token gesture and will be what the LEDP will be using to pay back the loans.

Our final average attendance was 1,689. Over the course of a season, while not everyone would be doing so, that is still a lot of people eating and drinking that wouldn't be doing so with Thomond park closed like normal.

No one is saying Thomond park is long term viable but there was a meeting regarding why the markets field wasn't felt viable either like use only on match days, only the senior team allowed use it, no chance for income from bar, toilets located on only one side of the ground, an away stand away fans won't want to visit as it is 25 feet from the pitch and only a small bit covered.

If you wanted to run a business would you rent a building that didn't suit the needs?

**bluewhitearmy** · 21/12/2013, 5:13 PM

Originally Posted by LFC Blue

I would imagine the Markets Field rent will be nothing more than a token gesture.

It is widely accepted that Limerick will be anchor tenents

i doubt very much with an average attendance of 1,000 people last season that it could be used as that much of a bargaining tool.

The Markets Field is the perfect fit for us at the moment even with the small scale development of the ground which is outlined in the planning application and anyone that thinks otherwise is not being realistic.

You would be wrong.

They are not anchor tennants they are in there 20 days a year.

As has been said the average attendance wasn't 1,000.

In what way is it a perfect fit? If it was so much a perfect fit then why all the talk from the LEDP that if we have a big game we can go back out to Thomond. Hardly perfect that really is it. Its an ok ground if we don't plan on being successful and growing as a club anytime soon. If it turns out as the plans look it will more then likely be the 4th best football ground in Munster. More importantly then that it will never be a proper home to Limerick if they are only given the keys for 20 match nights a year and they have no way at all of making any revenue in there.

**NeverFeltBetter** · 21/12/2013, 7:23 PM

A "token gesture" rent, are you for real? Limerick FC will pay for the use of the Market's Field, and there will be nothing token about it.

**Charlie Darwin** · 21/12/2013, 7:40 PM

Have Lims put any money into the cost or is it all the LEDP? Either way, I suspect it will be run as a profit-making venture like Tallaght. LEDP will want it earning them money to reinvest in other projects.

**Jofspring** · 22/12/2013, 1:24 AM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

Have Lims put any money into the cost or is it all the LEDP? Either way, I suspect it will be run as a profit-making venture like Tallaght. LEDP will want it earning them money to reinvest in other projects.

I don't think so but also I don't think the option was there to put money into it either. Nothing wrong with the LEDP choosing to charge rent either though but a lot of people seem to think limerick are getting this free cheap ground and should be happy.

**LFC Blue** · 22/12/2013, 5:26 PM

The negativity on here towards the Markets Field move is baffling. I'm following Limerick FC since 1990 and have lived through broken promises of father joe and his field of dreams up in Rathbane, going cap in hand to junior clubs like Pike and begging for the use of their ground to stay in existence, slumming it in Jackman at the mercy of the LDMC and here we are after 30 years homeless getting the chance to move back to our spiritual home with no massive financial outlay required and all ye can do is crib about it. Time people got a bit realistic on here. The capacity of the Markets Field is expected at about 2,700 and people are moaning here about that. Well i can tell ye one thing lads in my 25years of following Limerick i can count on one hand the amount of times we exceeded 2,700 people at a home match so get real lads because i don't expect to see us in the group stages of the champions league packing out Thomond Park anytime soon.

Maybe ye can give me a better alternative to moving to the Markets Field???

**bluewhitearmy** · 22/12/2013, 5:47 PM

Originally Posted by LFC Blue

The negativity on here towards the Markets Field move is baffling. I'm following Limerick FC since 1990 and have lived through broken promises of father joe and his field of dreams up in Rathbane, going cap in hand to junior clubs like Pike and begging for the use of their ground to stay in existence, slumming it in Jackman at the mercy of the LDMC and here we are after 30 years homeless getting the chance to move back to our spiritual home with no massive financial outlay required and all ye can do is crib about it. Time people got a bit realistic on here. The capacity of the Markets Field is expected at about 2,700 and people are moaning here about that. Well i can tell ye one thing lads in my 25years of following Limerick i can count on one hand the amount of times we exceeded 2,700 people at a home match so get real lads because i don't expect to see us in the group stages of the champions league packing out Thomond Park anytime soon.

Maybe ye can give me a better alternative to moving to the Markets Field???

Why come on talking about something when you haven't a clue what you are talking about seriously like?

What has father Joe Young got to do with it? What has Pike or Jackman got to do with it?

You say after 30 years homeless sher when we go to the Markets Field we will be no less homeless then we were in Pike or Jackman.

Just because we don't have an alternative does not mean the Markets Field plans are good. Your typical of some people in Limerick though spouting a load of rubbish with absolutely no idea what you are talking about. You were told already why some of the points you have already made are wrong and instead of actually answering any of that you just spout more nonsense.

**NeverFeltBetter** · 22/12/2013, 7:48 PM

How dare Limerick fans criticise the terrible plans of the stadium they will be using (and paying for).

**sadloserkid** · 23/12/2013, 8:06 AM

Originally Posted by LFC Blue

slumming it in Jackman at the mercy of the LDMC

Slumming it in Markets Field at the mercy of the LEDP.

There's no real difference there. Obviously Jackman will be a worse slum.

**gael353** · 23/12/2013, 1:43 PM

Limerick FC can't contribute to the ground financially as the ground is held in trust so it would be more like a contribution to a charity. We would have no say in how the monies would be spent, (decent stand) etc and going on the plans it looks like no one has been listened to on just how bad they are. Using our crowds of last year in Thomond is really shoddy in saying that the capacity would be good enough as we played on all seven days of the week last year six of which were unsuitable for the Limerick football folk. Limerick as tenants have always paid rent, considerable rent at all venues they have used and going on soundings the rent for the MF is nothing short of extortionate for the "facilities" on offer. For LFC bLUE..when complete this will be the forth best Football ground in MUNSTER. again this will be the forth best ground in munster. In case you didnt hear it will be the forth best ground in munster. The rent of Thomond is cut down on last year and i hope Limerick will play on their for the foreseeable future. One more time this will be the forth best ground in MUNSTER. I too look forward to the development of the forth best ground in Munster being built in 1974 sorry my mistake 2014.

**blueblood** · 23/12/2013, 8:26 PM

For me the most annoying thing about this is there was great potential for a lovely little stadium where the public could go to watch a strong progressive team thus crowds would be up (at least 3000) for some games limerick for could grow. Limerick Fc could make money from friendly games etc but way it's looking now the club would be better off with it's own ground where they can play and invest in a proper ground. What a waste giving the LEDP the ground. Actually come to think of it how could we move into Markets Field under worse conditions, not even a bar like come on.