Shelbourne's Move To Santry Dead In the Water

DaveH

Hi All,
Just wanted to pass this on. It was said at the last Dublin County Board meeting at all negogations between Shelbourne F.C, AAI and Fingal County Council have finished. Shelbourne have pulled the plug with their current finicail situation believed to be the reason.

Im a Shelbourne fan, but an athletics man first so its good news to me!

Hopefully the AAI can go ahead and purchase Santry outright.

Winters

What about Campus Ireland. Are IAA still going to be offered residency there?

DaveH

AAI have purchased offices in the Santry development. The one behind the stadium close to the new hotel. I think the monies from the sale of the offices in Glasnevin have to go to funding the new offices.

I dont know what the position is with Sports Campus Ireland. I dont know if the offer was there either. It makes more sense to have the offices beside the national stadium. I think the FAI are moving out to abbotstown because their own facalities will be there.

Our we getting an indoor stadium in abbotstown?

Winters

In the grand scheme of things IAA were supposed to move out to Abbotsown to training and office facilities there - outdoor definitely not sure about indoor.

How are IAA going to come up with a quarter of a million a year im wondering because that's how much it costs Fingal to maintain Santry. Track also needs relaying in 2007.

Drummerboy2

Delighted if true. I've no objection to soccer taking place in Morton Stadium. But Olly Cahill plans would have lessened the position of Athletics of the main sport in the stadium.

Poor Student

Drummerboy2 wrote:

Delighted if true. I've no objection to soccer taking place in Morton Stadium. But Olly Cahill plans would have lessened the position of Athletics of the main sport in the stadium.

Ollie Cahill is just a Shelbourne winger.:D

Winters

Athletes reassured as Shelbourne eye move

Saturday July 8th 2006

SHELBOURNE Football Club are exploring a possible move to Morton Stadium but Santry's pre-eminent position as the home of Irish athletics and the status of tenants Clonliffe Harriers AC is not under threat, according to Fingal County Council.

Confirming that they have had exploratory talks with Shelbourne, Fingal CC's Director of Services Senan Turnbull said that any existing athletics arrangements and interests in Santry would be enshrined as a priority.

If Shelbourne were to go into Santry it would only be on a lease agreement.

"The site is not for sale," Turnbull said.

"And any arrangement with other parties will only ever be made with the assurance that Morton remains the National Athletics Arena accommodating soccer and not the other way around," he stressed.

He confirmed that Shelbourne have made enquiries about the stadium, which has hosted another National League club - Shamrock Rovers - in recent years.

But Turnbull stressed that "we are very much in the very early stages of exploratory discussions".

Any new tenancy would need the full approval of all members of the Morton Stadium Management Committee, a six-person committee which includes representatives of the Sports Council, the Department of Arts and Tourism, Fingal and Dublin councils and Clonliffe AC.

Clonliffe relinquished ownership of the stadium to the local authorities in return for free long-term tenancy, but it costs €260,000 to run and Fingal CC have already tried to find someone to take over from them.

However, after putting it out to tender last year and attracting four interested parties, they failed to unearth one suitable proposal Ironically, security on Morton Stadium has been increased this week after it was badly vandalised last Friday night.

Clonliffe had to replace 14 windows alone in their clubhouse and there was similar damage to the gym and indoor training centre.

A frantic clean-up had to be undertaken because it happened just hours before hundreds of children returned on Saturday morning to resume the weekend-long Dublin Community Games Finals.

Morton will host the national senior championships in three weeks (July 22/23) but many of Ireland's elite are abroad this weekend while the National Juveniles take place in Tullamore.

Derval O'Rourke has decided to pass up on Paris tonight in favour of Lausanne next Tuesday, but Alistair Cragg, in what will be his only 5km before the European Championships, races in tonight's star-studded event, hoping to improve on his recent personal best of 13:08.

Thomas Chamney, Sinead Evans, Paul Hession and Anna Boyle race in a metting at Cuxhaven, Germany and teen stars David McCarthy, Jason Smyth and Amy Foster are chasing World Junior qualifying marks in Mannheim.

Cliona Foley

© http://www.unison.ie/

Drummerboy2

Yes the above piece was from July last. But I think meetings have taken place. I know if Shels were to take up residence in Morton, it would not be immediately, they would have to upgrade the stadium to UEFA standards, which would need planning permission. They also had grandious plans for a revolving stand which could be propelled to sit above the track during soccer matches. All very ambitious but hardly realistic in term of cost. Fingal wanted the money up front, something which wasn't possible I'd imagine given the financial state of Shels. Another huge stumbling block would be the bar in the Stadium. From my limited knowledge there could only be one licence granted to the site. I wouldn't imagine Clonliffe would want to give up that source of income.

Drummerboy2

Taken from the Sunday Times


Meanwhile, with other clubs keeping tabs on Fenlon, Byrne plugs along. He expects word on Shelbourne’s proposed move to Santry stadium before Christmas. Without the promise of a suitably sized home to move into, Dublin Corporation will not rezone Tolka Park and make it a crucial source of cash. The club has never known such success and such turbulence but, after all the scrapes, a new stadium and financial safety could still be Byrne’s greatest legacy.