Stadium Updates (All Clubs)

**pineapple stu** · 30/08/2016, 8:13 AM

The Bowl alwats starts off the football season in a jocker, but quickly improves - and even each year, it's slightly better at the start of the season than at the same time the previous year.

No reason it can't work.

I don't know how astro rugby pitches are still a thing; the amount of injuries I've seen on them is something else.

**White Horse** · 30/08/2016, 9:01 AM

Originally Posted by D24Saint

http://m.independent.ie/sport/rugby/...-35005668.html

would destroy the pitch rugby & football grounds shares don't work imo.

Terryland is located on a narrow country lane. How on earth would 12,000 people get safe access?

**nigel-harps1954** · 30/08/2016, 10:13 AM

Where the hell would they fit a 12,000 seater into that space?

**fionnsci** · 30/08/2016, 10:54 AM

I think it's a great idea, municipal stadiums with better facilities are better than two mediocre ones. Not that Galway United are crying out for an increase in capacity but they only stand to benefit from improved facilities and greater capacity to grow.

**Philosophizer** · 30/08/2016, 11:02 AM

Isn't Tallaght some kind of hybrid pitch. Maybe that would work for Galway. They play American football in Tallaght and I know Leinster u20s have played there before. Pitch always looks perfect to me.
I'm all for this. As mentioned already, one quality venue is better than 2 mediocre ones. Ive been saying for years that every sports ground in the country should be municipal. That'll probably never happen becuase of the GAA but if more grounds were to become municipal I can only see it as a good thing for our league.

**gufcfan** · 30/08/2016, 1:27 PM

There is absolutely no chance of the above happening. Zero. Connacht are trying to negotiate with the dog crowd who own the Sportsground and all this talk of the alternate "options" Connacht supposedly have are just nonsense to try to pressure Bord na gCon into agreeing to whatever.

There is no room to develop Terryland. Eamonn Deacy Park is held in trust. Connacht wouldn't own anything and wouldn't have ultimate say over anything even if it did happen.

**Nesta99** · 30/08/2016, 1:35 PM

Play in ED park and i'm sure a move a few hundred metres could be organised if need be to a developed Connaught Showgrounds on an occasion, why get involved at all ED Park is a fine ground and with something at the Showgounds end and kill the gale that cuts the nuts off ye it would be in the top 3 in the league!

**Longfordian** · 31/08/2016, 7:48 AM

Sounds like the Shels and Bohs groundshare will be going ahead, with the two playing in Tolka for two seasons while Dalymount is rebuilt. I assume some basic improvements will be made to Tolka first.

http://www.thesun.ie/irishsol/homepa...ll-_-558221737

**BonnieShels** · 31/08/2016, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by Philosophizer

Isn't Tallaght some kind of hybrid pitch. Maybe that would work for Galway. They play American football in Tallaght and I know Leinster u20s have played there before. Pitch always looks perfect to me.
I'm all for this. As mentioned already, one quality venue is better than 2 mediocre ones. Ive been saying for years that every sports ground in the country should be municipal. That'll probably never happen becuase of the GAA but if more grounds were to become municipal I can only see it as a good thing for our league.

Municipal grounds are the way forward. Not the GAA's* fault though that National government and local government policy wrt infrastructure is non-existent for the most part unless it's a bypass.

*Tallaght excluded.

**pineapple stu** · 31/08/2016, 11:01 AM

* UCD Bowl excluded too.

**pateen** · 31/08/2016, 3:28 PM

Any update from whats happening at Derry? Photos or anything?

**Dazzy** · 31/08/2016, 4:51 PM

Originally Posted by pateen

Any update from whats happening at Derry? Photos or anything?

Good one. Bids from contractors on the first tender was too expensive for the council.

**BonnieShels** · 31/08/2016, 10:55 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

* UCD Bowl excluded too.

Sorry, that's a DLR issue.

*I used to work there. **** that ****.

**Philosophizer** · 01/09/2016, 5:24 AM

Anyone got up-to-date pictures of the MF? I'm interested to see how the other half of ground looks beside the main stand, and also have they built anything behind the goals on the same end of the main stand?

**brendy_éire** · 01/09/2016, 8:17 AM

Originally Posted by Dazzy

Good one. Bids from contractors on the first tender was too expensive for the council.

There was an electricity sub-station that needed move that wasn't taken account of, apparently.
New tender due to be announced soon(ish), probably, maybe, if they get round to it.

**disgruntled** · 01/09/2016, 9:12 AM

Originally Posted by brendy_éire

There was an electricity sub-station that needed move that wasn't taken account of, apparently.
New tender due to be announced soon(ish), probably, maybe, if they get round to it.

So don't plan on moving any time soon

Everything in this country takes an age to get going.

**ForzaHoop** · 01/09/2016, 10:02 AM

Sure Finn Harps are still waiting on the monies from FAI to complete the stadium 1/2 built in Finn Valley

**Paddyfield** · 01/09/2016, 11:58 AM

The proposed move by Connacht is real. They have discussed the matter with IRFU, FAI, Galway FA, NUIG and Galway City Council.

The Council own the waterworks next door (effectively behind the old stand) and are open to handing over the land in the name of a municipal stadium. The green area across the road from the stadium is owned by the University and currently is unused. This would allow for the realignment and widening of the road and there is scope for lots of parking. This site occupies a few hundred meters of river side frontage. The proposal is to extend the pitch the current car park, knock down the current 'old' stand and replace it with a stand not dissimilar to Thomand Park with corporate facilities etc.

I'm skeptical to be honest but have no objection to the theory. I've seen many plans for many stadium developments in this county which never got to see the light of day. But you never know....

**Dodge** · 01/09/2016, 1:37 PM

Originally Posted by disgruntled

So don't plan on moving any time soon

Everything in this country takes an age to get going.

You can blame the British system on the delays in Derry...

From my visit there recently, there was apparently 2 issues. One related to to the tender awarded (as the council investigated why it was so much cheaper than the others) and another about a sewerage issue related to the back pitch, that needed work done before the stadium (as the greyhounds moved there?)

The lads we talked to seemed to think there'd be no movement this season, even with the Glentoran stand having been knocked down

**nigel-harps1954** · 01/09/2016, 3:15 PM

Deal reached with Shelbourne. Basically the same story the Sun had but 98fm had an interview with DCC to go along with it.

http://www.98fm.com/Dublin-City-Coun...e-To-Dalymount

Interesting to note though, there's an artists rendering of what the stadium will look like, although Shels have said:

"We hope to be in a position to announce our part in the project in the coming weeks."
"We expect to be relinquishing our interests in Tolka Park and moving to a revamped Dalymount as Co-Anchor Tenants with Bohemians, but as the plans for the new stadium have neither been drawn up, or discussed in detail, yet we will not be commenting further at this stage.""