Redevelop Lansdowne Road

**pete** · 06/12/2002, 9:38 AM

The IRFU are apparently strapped for cash so maybe its time to forget about Bertie Bowl & the FAI & IRFU to co-develop lansdowne into maybe a 50k all seater?

If either association keep relying on the government or even the GAA (Croke Park) they'll never achive anything as neither is reliable. The FAI & IRFU already have a good relationship & their senior international or lesser game fixtures would rarely clash.

**patsh** · 06/12/2002, 11:02 AM

I think that is a good idea, pete, but I feel it has a serious drawback, and that is the pitch. Doesn't rugger need a completely different type of pitch to soccer? (Am I right ?)
Over the years, the pitch in Lansdowne has always been a problem with various managers.

**pete** · 06/12/2002, 11:08 AM

Originally posted by oddboy
Doesn't rugger need a completely different type of pitch to soccer? (Am I right ?)

I think things have changed from when the FAI first started to use Landsdowne.

I think Lansdowne suffers just because too many games (of any sport) are played there. I think two AIL rugby clubs use the pitch as well as football & rugby internationals & the odd provinicial rugby game.

Rugby seems to be played on much better pitches with shorter grass than years ago now & plenty of examples (Stade de France, Cardiff Millenium Stadium) of both sports sharing facilities already. Even in the rugby hot bed of Wales i seen the Swansea Football & Rugby clubs are due to share a new 20k all-seater.

Its a separte topic but IMO makes perfect sense for the FAI & IRFU to share facilities all around the country especially with football to be played in summer & rugby in winter.,

**The Money Man** · 06/12/2002, 9:50 PM

From a purely logistical point of view there are a number of issues that need to be considered. Re-development is probably the wrong word to use in this instance because for all intents and purposes its a knock and re-build job that would be required.

I don't know how long this would take. There are probably two options as to how the job would be carried out.

1. Knock the whole thing and restart from scratch. I assume this would take at least two years. It would leave both associations without a realistic home venue for that duration.

2. Knock one stand at a time and re-build them individually. This would probably take at least 6 years. Both associations would suffer seriously from restricted capacity for that number of years.

For these reasons, I think that if both associations wanted to pool resources to develop a joint stadium, they would probably be better off looking for a green field site.

**Schumi** · 09/12/2002, 4:15 PM

I don't think any club sides play on Lansdowne Road. They'd play on the back pitch behind the East stand.

The idea mooted to redevelop Lansdowne is to knock everything and set up a new pitch at 90 degrees to the current pitch with the half way line somewhere around where the east stand is now. There isn't room to build a big stand where the terraces are now.

**The Money Man** · 09/12/2002, 9:25 PM

Originally posted by Schumi

The idea mooted to redevelop Lansdowne is to knock everything and set up a new pitch at 90 degrees to the current pitch with the half way line somewhere around where the east stand is now. There isn't room to build a big stand where the terraces are now.

So where do we play our home fixtures for 2/3 years?

**Éanna** · 10/12/2002, 2:00 PM

Originally posted by The Money Man
So where do we play our home fixtures for 2/3 years?

Croker

**fosterdollar** · 10/12/2002, 2:37 PM

Originally posted by Éanna
Croker

would you not rather Pairc Ui Caoimh?

**The Money Man** · 11/12/2002, 8:30 AM

Originally posted by Magoo
would you not rather Pairc Ui Caoimh?

Or we could just fill in the new National swimming pool and sod the surface!

**Macy** · 11/12/2002, 9:37 AM

There was talk a month or so ago of the IRFU and FAI building a new stadium at the glass bottle plant site in Ringsend.... The IRFU aren't keen on a move out of town, and the FAI would help bring funding both Governmental and Commercial.....

Btw Reports of IRFU financial trouble are greatly exagerated...... They are looking at an operating profit, and they own so much land around a) Lansdowne - Apart from the ground, they own loads of houses there.... b) Out around city west they have land that they purchased years ago for a stadium (imagine that - a sporting organisation with foresight!).

**pete** · 11/12/2002, 11:42 AM

Originally posted by Macy
There was talk a month or so ago of the IRFU and FAI building a new stadium at the glass bottle plant site in Ringsend.... The IRFU aren't keen on a move out of town, and the FAI would help bring funding both Governmental and Commercial.....

Btw Reports of IRFU financial trouble are greatly exagerated...... They are looking at an operating profit, and they own so much land around a) Lansdowne - Apart from the ground, they own loads of houses there.... b) Out around city west they have land that they purchased years ago for a stadium (imagine that - a sporting organisation with foresight!).

Yeah the while maybe not so flush with cash are asset rich as they say. Think they got a big chunk of land out at Newlands Cross.

Looks like the IRFU keen to hang onto their own assets until all avenues of getting the government to build them a stadium have been exhausted.

**The Money Man** · 11/12/2002, 1:25 PM

Originally posted by pete

Looks like the IRFU keen to hang onto their own assets until all avenues of getting the government to build them a stadium have been exhausted.

That's the reason the IRFU have a few quid - because the don't go around throwing it all over the place on self-interest pursuits and self-indulgence like the FAI do!