The National Sports Campus took another major step forward yesterday with the official opening of the next phase consisting of 12 synthetic flood lit pitches for use by soccer, rugby and gaelic games, as well as an all weather hockey pitch and new dressing room facilities.
The pitches are available for use by national, county and club teams, as well as community and sports groups and clubs, schools and the general public. They will be run on a commercial basis and and are operated by the National Sports Campus.
The GAA and FAI are expected to announce in the near future that work will start on their own developments at the Campus in the next few months, as part of the Development Through Partnership plan between the Government and National Governing Bodies of sport.
This will add to the growing number of top class sporting facilities on site including the National Aquatic Centre, a National Horse Sport Arena to the same standard as that used at the London 2012 Olympic Games, a National centre for Modern Pentathlon and Diving, as well as the headquarters of the Irish Institute of Sport and 19 National Governing Bodies.
Minster for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar did the official opening and also confirmed that work will start this year on the new National Indoor Arena providing a major national facility for indoor athletics, gymnastics and a host of other sports.
Additional plans for the possible construction alongside this of an indoor velodrome for cycling and a separate Badminton centre are also being explored.
“This is a tremendous addition to the sports facilities at the Campus,” said Varadkar. “We want clubs and teams from across Ireland to use these top-class pitches and pavilion.”
“I’m also delighted to confirm that work will start this year on the new National Indoor Arena following the provision of €13 million in the Budget.”
“Together these developments will give us a truly National Sports Campus for athletes at every level, from community level to elite, and from a huge range of disciplines.”
Lesson for Sport: Collaboration on facilities and services helps to deliver the best outcome for all sports
Lesson for Business: There is a growing appreciation within Government of sport as an essential pillar of public policy. Public Private partnerships with the commercial sector will likely increase over the coming years on programmes as well as capital developments.
