Please Leave Plenty of Time

The Republic of Ireland got back to winning ways at the Aviva Stadium last night with a comeback 3-1 win over New Zealand.

Things get more serious on Monday though for the potential ‘win or bust’ qualifier for the Euro 2020 finals against Denmark.

There were a lot of empty seats last night but all will be filled on Monday as we hope to wipe out the memory of Denmark ending our hopes of World Cup qualification in the same venue two years ago.

Getting to the ground is going to test the patience of an Irish crowd used to rocking up and walking straight from the Dart into the ground as there will be a raft of temporary restriction is place as a warm-up for the stadium hosting four games next summer.

Lansdowne Road DART Station will close between 1730 and 2300 with passengers attending the match asked to disembark at either Grand Canal Dock or Sandymount Station during the closure.

The purpose of the exercise is to examine logistics, mobility, safety, security and stadium access prior to next June’s matches.

A comprehensive communications plan has been implemented to inform regular users of Lansdowne Road DART Station, Irish and Danish supporters and local residents about the temporary station closure. This includes advertising, social media posts, leafleting, signage and on-board announcements in the lead up to the closure.

On Monday evening there will be additional directional signage in place for fans going to Aviva Stadium, while 70 dedicated volunteers, as well as match stewards, will be in place to assist and guide supporters along the walking routes from both Grand Canal Dock and Sandymount DART Stations. Supporters are obviously encouraged to allow extra time than normal for their journey to the stadium.

UEFA EURO 2020 will be the biggest sporting event to ever be held in Ireland, with an expected global audience of 5 billion and an estimated economic impact of €106m for Dublin and Ireland.

The public face of the preparation that has gone in over many years comes into the light on Monday night, on and off the pitch.