Stadium Updates (All Clubs)

[marinobohs]

Oh don't worry, no matter what improvements are made they'll always have plenty of new excuses...

what ? no Jacuzzi in the away end ? when I was at Old trafford.......

[redarmyfaction]

Presume that's depressing ?

Apart from the Jodi Stand, which is in half decent knick, the rest of the ground is rarely used. Not sure why we would waste time/resources on parts of the ground we don't use (and no longer own).

Almost all away fans (except on AGS advice) have access to Jodi Stand and shops, chipper, bars etc. Cant think of many grounds with better facilities for away fans and know most have less. Given the area, public transport, parking etc is all readily available and close to the ground.

what exactly do people want ? (we may ask DCC to look at incorporating an airport in the new stadium )

If you have no use for 3 sides of the ground its hard to see the point in building a new stadium.

[Philosophizer]

If you have no use for 3 sides of the ground its hard to see the point in building a new stadium.

It's not Bohs decision (or Shels for that matter) to build a 4 sided stadium. It's totally up to the DCC. Similar to how SDCC (not Rovers) decided to add a third stand in Tallaght when the current stands are never anywhere near capacity.

They must have an eye on hosting concerts or maybe using it as a venue for the Rugby world cup or something.

[nigel-harps1954]

Whisper it, but many LOI grounds are actually in a decent state nowadays, or else there are plans in place to improve:

• Cork: Excellent ground.
• Shams: Excellent ground and plans afoot to start building 3^rd stand next year. Latest here
• Bohs/Shels: Will groundshare in rebuilt Dalyer by 2020 hopefully. Latest here
• Dundalk: With their recent cash injection I’d imagine they’ll sort out the lease situation and improve Oriel greatly or start afresh on a new site.
• Sligo: Fine ground.
• Galway: Fine ground, and outstanding playing surface.
• Longford: Outstanding all-seater ground by LOI standards.
• Waterford: Outstanding ground, albeit slightly hindered by the running track.
• Limerick: Moving back home to renovated MF seems to have given Limerick a real boost. I’ve never been there but it certainly looks decent on TV.
• Derry: One great curved stand and the council have been allocated funding to build a new stand on opposite side.
• Pats: Richmond park is decent enough by LOI standards.
• UCD: Lovely little ground.
• Harps: Quarter built new ground. Will be nice whenever it’s finished…
• Wexford: Fine ground for the crowds they get. One nice pop-up stand. Also wine on sale.
• Bray: OK ground. Outstanding location.
• Athlone: One very nice stand in a relatively new ground, which more than caters for the numbers they get currently.
• Drogs: Undoubtedly the most thrown together stadium in the league. Nothing really good to say about this one but apparently there is a plan in place to build a new ground somewhere in the town.
• Cobh: Putting a plan in place to buy back St Colman’s park afaik.
• Cabo: Lovely bar in Stradbrook. That is all.

I'm sorry, but the whole 'by LOI standards' is a load of sh!te. It's either a good stadium, or a poor stadium. There's no really good stadium in the LOI outside of maybe Tallaght. There's decent stadia, relatively comfortable grounds, but no 'outstanding' grounds, as you've put it.

Cork, Sligo, Galway, Waterford and the aforementioned Shamrock Rovers have all good comfortable grounds, but not without problems. Corks lack of away toilets and general facilities within the ground, Sligos old stand and no roof over the new stand really holding back the rest of the ground from being probably the best in the league, Galway needing a bit more in the way of decent toilets and general match-night facilities in the old stand, Waterford having a god awful running track and not much in the way of decent turnstiles.
There's okay grounds in Longford, Limerick, Derry, Pats, UCD, Athlone and Cobh. Longford has been let go to ruin in certain parts and feels totally unfinished, Limerick need Markets Field finished, fabulous main stand, pretty much nothing happening outside of that, Derry obviously needing the new stand, Pats having a proper old ground but a pop up stand behind the goal and needing modernisation in other parts, UCD and Athlone both just single stands, Athlone in particular having wasteland beyond their only stand, and Cobh, while a great spot for all they require, still miles away from being a really good ground.
There's so, so much wrong with the rest in my view. Bohs/Shels badly needing the new ground, Dundalk need to do up Oriel, Harps so badly needing the new ground, Wexford having the best clubhouse in the country with a pop up stand and thrown-together perimeter fencing, Brays pop up stand and a run down away side with no roof, Drogheda needing a new ground and Cabinteely having a great bar in Stradbrook and a god-awful spectator unfriendly ground.

There's not enough money in the country to fix up all the stadia here to a really good standard.

[fionnsci]

I love Richmond Park but I think it's getting off a little light above, every side needs work. Could do with a main stand with less cramped seats and no poles holding up the roof. Combined with the floodlights and dugouts, the view can be pretty bad. The stand behind the goal could do with a roof - I'd move the singing section there if it had a roof, freeing up the main stand for a proper family section away from the singers. The paving in the Shed also needs work, the bottom step of the terrace is too far away from the pitch. Camac is grand except for the floodlights blocking the view.

I'm not "in the know" but I haven't heard talk of work being done or on the St Michael's Estate stadium plan in a long time. A little disheartening when you see every other team in Dublin improving their situations (or having it improved for them).

[Paddyfield]

Didn't realise you had such bitter rivalry with Connacht rugby.?
Cant mean Bohs as there is no question of us sharing with Rovers. We have no other bitter rivals AFAIK , if you exclude ball hopping cheaters from the north east ( for a week or twp)

Connacht Rugby play a different sport to Galway United FC.. There's a clue in their name.

Soon ye will be moving to Tolka with Shels. They are the nearest other LOI club to Bohs. Good to hear that you are not bitter rivals anymore. It will make cohabitation easy.

BTW, Bohs have shared with Rovers in the past. That worked out fine.


Seriously, I love my trips to Dalymount. It's by far my favourite ground in Dublin. The potential is massive.

[Paddyfield]

Don't you technically share your bed with all your neighbours though? Merve, Salthill not ring a bell? Jesus you guys have short memories. Must be all that club inbreeding

Mervue and Salthill have their own home grounds. Neither of them play in the League of Ireland anymore. So technically, you are incorrect. Keep up.

[Dalymountrower]

Connacht Rugby play a different sport to Galway United FC.. There's a clue in their name.

Soon ye will be moving to Tolka with Shels. They are the nearest other LOI club to Bohs. Good to hear that you are not bitter rivals anymore. It will make cohabitation easy.

BTW, Bohs have shared with Rovers in the past. That worked out fine.


Seriously, I love my trips to Dalymount. It's by far my favourite ground in Dublin. The potential is massive.

Yes Paddy, Rovers were our tenants for two periods over that last 30 years. Also shared terracing under the shed with little or no bother when we played each other during one tenancy period 29 years ago or so. Unimaginable now, unfortunately.

Anyway, any bitterness against Shels ended when Ollie died and they imploded. I can`t see Shels getting smaller crowds than they are getting now when they move to a shiny new stadium, so its not exactly a death knell for them.

[total hoofball]

Yes Paddy, Rovers were our tenants for two periods over that last 30 years. Also shared terracing under the shed with little or no bother when we played each other during one tenancy period 29 years ago or so. Unimaginable now, unfortunately.

Anyway, any bitterness against Shels ended when Ollie died and they imploded. I can`t see Shels getting smaller crowds than they are getting now when they move to a shiny new stadium, so its not exactly a death knell for them.

Shels are going to need to grow their attendances significantly from their current level (guessing 500 or so regulars) or seriously tap into lapsed supporters to have any chance of making Dalymount work, in Bohs home ground and catchment area it's very unlikely. It may help Shels to get promoted back to the top-flight before the move but they are lightyears away from that based on evidence on the pitch.

[El-Pietro]

Its a mile away from where they currently play, there is no way this move hurts them.

[Dodge]

Its a mile away from where they currently play, there is no way this move hurts them.

Of course it does. It gives plenty of people looking for an excuse not to go to have one.

Not to mention they're playing second fiddle now. Never a good look

[Longfordian]

Shels have been very quiet on the specifics of the deal which suggests they won't have much to be bragging about despite supposedly being "co-anchor tenants".

[toffeejay]

In the short term its good for Shels but long term they'll be worse off. Can't see them being able to attract future fans at Dalymount.

Where would most Shels fans be from nowadays? Around Ringsend or Drumcondra? Are they even the main supported team around Tolka or would Bohs be more popular?

[Philosophizer]

In the short term its good for Shels but long term they'll be worse off. Can't see them being able to attract future fans at Dalymount.

Where would most Shels fans be from nowadays? Around Ringsend or Drumcondra? Are they even the main supported team around Tolka or would Bohs be more popular?

I think they'll have more chance of attracting new fans at a shiny new Dalyer than they would in the crumbling ruin that is Tolka.
More of their fans would come from Drumcondra these days rather than Ringsend, and Shels would certainly be the main LOI team around Tolka park, as you'd expect.

[fionnsci]

Are they getting anything out of the Tolka deal or will the whole thing be pretty much a break even for them as with Bohs? If they got anything out of it, it might stand to them to keep some kind of presence in Drumcondra. Like a pub. A reminder to the locals that the club is still there to be supported. I hope it works out but looking 30 years down the line, I find it hard to see the "sure it's only a mile away" argument holding up. By then it'll simply be two clubs in the same location competing for the small number of LOI fans in north Dublin city.

[pineapple stu]

If they can wipe their debts from the proceeds, Shels will have done fairly well I'd say?

[Charlie Darwin]

They'll be lucky to have a fraction of it wiped. Shels are fupped.

[pateen]

Whats the actual story with Finn Harps new ground. No money, planning issues, club in fighting .... all the above + more?

[ForzaHoop]

Waiting on monies from FAI to pay builder, builder I think wants full payment up front but FAI will only pay in installments as in when stand finished they pay but he wants all the money up front
hard to know full story as Club very quiet

[Longfordian]

They'll be lucky to have a fraction of it wiped. Shels are fupped.

If that's the case, and I'm sure it is, given that they'll no longer have any assets once this goes through surely they should just do a Derry/Cork/Galway and start again with a new debt free company?