The gap between the announcement and the delivery of major capital projects is often long enough for them to either materially change or simply fade away before the turning of a sod.
Last night the FAI gently pulled the curtain on the Glanmire Centre of Excellence that had been planned back in 2015 as a base for football in the South and a home for Cork City.
“The Football Association of Ireland can confirm that after careful consideration, our Board and the Executive, has taken the decision not to proceed with the Glanmire project as first proposed in 2015,” read a statement issued just after 7 PM.
“As part of a wider review of football facilities across the country, it is the Board’s view that the original proposal no longer represents the greatest return on investment for the parties involved.”
“The FAI, however, looks forward to working with Cork County Council to ensure the site can still benefit the local football community and we have engaged with the Department to review other options to retain the broader commitment to football in both Cork and Munster.”
It was greeted with resignation but no great surprise and the changes that have taken place across football and with the one-time anchor tenants have made it if not quite inevitable, then certainly likely.
Glanmire had been part of an FAI submission for funding from the Government Large Scale Sporting Infrastructure Fund, a new tranche of which is expected to open for application later this year.
Whether plans for a Cork or Munster base will be ready at that time is unknown at present and it may need a bit of time for the dust to settle on Glanmire before the enthusiasm is rekindled for another run.
