Shelbourne FC On the move ?

The Muppet

According to the local paper Shelbourn F.C. are contemplating moving further North. They have earmarked a site just at the Donabate turn off of the M1 to build an international standard football stadium and campus with a 10 000 seating capacity. A motion to rezone the land will be tabled at a council meeting in january.

cournioni

Nice to see that things are looking up for football in Ireland. Hopefully many clubs will follow Shelbourne's example.

The Rooster

Certainly a big market to tap into there with biggish towns like Swords, Malahide and Skerries not far away, as well as Donabate, Portrane, Rush and Lusk etc. And also close to Dublin North East.

Public transport to the pitch (from both north and south of it) might be a problem, but one that should be easy enough to solve.

KdjaCL

FFS my junkie bus pass only gets me to city centre.

words, Malahide and Skerries not far away, as well as Donabate, Portrane, Rush and Lusk

Used to work over there about 10 years ago , was there last week for 1st time sweet jesus its bloody huge now , thousands of new houses theres.



kdjac

thejollyrodger

I have never been out at the new site, I just hope its near a decent sized popluation so the Club can really grow. I heard that the 10,000 seater stadium can be easily upgraded if need be in the future. All the training, reserves and underage stuff is located at hone spot. Great to see Shels on the rise.

The Muppet

The Rooster wrote:

Public transport to the pitch (from both north and south of it) might be a problem, but one that should be easy enough to solve.

Its a mile north of Swords so there are plenty of bus routes but the nearest train station is Donabate which is about three miles from the proposed site and a road I wouldn,t fancy walking. If the Metro is ever built it is supposed to be extended to Swords.

thejollyrodger wrote:

I have never been out at the new site, I just hope its near a decent sized popluation so the Club can really grow. I heard that the 10,000 seater stadium can be easily upgraded if need be in the future. All the training, reserves and underage stuff is located at hone spot. Great to see Shels on the rise.

There will be hugh potential for the club as the surrounding area is well populated as I said Its only a mile north of Swords.

Töpher

Wouldn't fancy a mile long walk every time I'd wanna go see 'em play. Buses actually get reasonably close to the site? S'pose they might be extended if not, if Shels did move out that way.

_blank_

I think it's pretty much done and dusted at this stage that Shels will be moving.

The proposed move here won't be taking place until 2008, by which time the area will be pretty much properly developed. At the moment the site of the new stadium is greenfield, and will need to be re-zoned.

Shels want the whole thing to become part of the community, with any bar facilities to be used on a 7 day a week basis for functions and the like.

I'd day by the time the whole thing is complete it could be smack bang in the middle of a residential area.

The only thing that would be a bit off putting is the state of the public transport to the site.

thejollyrodger

2008 is a good start date, it isnt that far away and who knows they might even give the green light for the metro by then and work could begin.

If it is in a residential area like people post then I reckon Dublin Bus will have the place well serviced.

Another good point is the fact that its so close to the M1 meaning the future Champion League teams will have easy access.

eirebhoy

thejollyrodger wrote:

I have never been out at the new site, I just hope its near a decent sized popluation so the Club can really grow. I heard that the 10,000 seater stadium can be easily upgraded if need be in the future. All the training, reserves and underage stuff is located at hone spot. Great to see Shels on the rise.

Not much of a market in the proposed area though, if anything the average attendance will drop so don't expect to fill the stadium for anything more than once or twice a year. I could be wrong though, actually probably am wrong but from my time in the donabate area I can't see of the residents wanting go to an Eircom league match of a Friday night.

thejollyrodger

I thought there was a recent decision just to play 1 game per week at the weekend ? I can see supporters going to that.

well, all those champion league matches will surely fill the future stadium:)

eirebhoy

thejollyrodger wrote:

I can see supporters going to that.

I'm not being satirical but what supporters? You won't get many out in Donabate wanting to go. There will most likely be a drop in attendance in the short(ish) term.

The Muppet

eirebhoy wrote:

I'm not being satirical but what supporters? You won't get many out in Donabate wanting to go. There will most likely be a drop in attendance in the short(ish) term.

Its nearer Swords than Donabate. Its just at the roundabot on the old main Dublin belfast road. Getting a crowd should not be a problem .

thejollyrodger

can anyone post a picture where the stadium will exactly be located

_blank_

from Shels Website poster Fintan Cassidy wrote:

http://www.fingalcoco.ie/motorway2/route.htm

The site is on the east side of the red junction 2.

Pigman II

Big mistake by Shels! They should open their new ground right beside Old Trafford and take the overspill from ManU's home games. Shels could be the BurgerKing to ManU's McDonalds if you will.

After all if you do a survey between who the Irish ManU blow-in's are and who the Shelbourne blow-ins are I reckon you'll get at least a 90% match.

KdjaCL

The Muppet wrote:

Its nearer Swords than Donabate. Its just at the roundabot on the old main Dublin belfast road. Getting a crowd should not be a problem .

Umm your old ground in city centre serviced by all but 3 Dublun buses.
Couldnt get a crowd there , why you assume you get a crowd in Swords?

kdjac

eirebhoy

KdjaC wrote:

Umm your old ground in city centre serviced by all but 3 Dublun buses.
Couldnt get a crowd there , why you assume you get a crowd in Swords?

kdjac

I don't think The Muppet supports Shels.

_blank_

KdjaC wrote:

why you assume you get a crowd in Swords?

I don't think The Muppet supports Shels, but can I field this question?

The area in question, North County Dublin, is experiencing rapid population growth at the moment. I think what the thinking behind the proposed new site is to capture some of this new population as fans of a "local" team.

From Balbriggan, all the way in to Swords, I'd say will have a population somewhere near the 100,000 mark inside 5 years or so (if not already, I am not a population expert.). What Shels envisage is a stadium/sports/social complex right in the heart of this population. They hope to become some kind of a focal point of the community.

If they can get a fair amount of people involved at a "grassroots" level, this may filter through and manifest itself as bigger crowds.

I am only expressing an opinion though.

thejollyrodger

Thats not far from Swords, better than fighting through traffic to get to Tolka

_blank_

thejollyrodger wrote:

Thats not far from Swords, better than fighting through traffic to get to Tolka

Have you ever driven out that way during Rush Hour?

Holy Christ it's a nightmare.

Slash/ED

Pigman II wrote:

Shels could be the BurgerKing to ManU's McDonalds if you will.

A fine example, as everybody knows Burger King is vastly superior to McDonalds

It's hard to know what to make of it, as the area will be vastly different in 2008 to what it is now, depending on how all the plans progress. Public transport is a problem now but will it be in 2008? It's all about getting a bandwagon rolling, I suppose, and if we could get the new local residents who will move into the area behind Shels, as a way of getting closer to the community, we would hopefully see some far superior crowds. We'll have to wait and see, as a move it's far different to something like Rovers to Tallaght, where (If they ever pull it off) they knew exactly what they were getting, this is an area developing rapidly so we'll just have to see how it pans out. I think if everything goes well it would be an exceptional move, and it is in roughly the area where our northside support comes from.

Anyway, the stadium itself sounds absolutley superb, something all Irish clubs should aim for. It will give a massive boost to the academy they're apparently trying to set up.

I wonder what the odds are on us making it there before 'phase one' in Tallaght is finished

therecklessone

A champion idea, and no mistaking. Even from the soon-to-be-new house I'll still only be 10 minutes away. One hopes they'll make adequate provision for car parking (and if they're really hoping to draw a crowd from the surrounding areas they'll have to rely on people driving).

There is great potential in the area, and the population base will only keep growing.

_blank_

Slash/ED wrote:

It's all about getting a bandwagon rolling, I suppose/QUOTE]

The bandwagon started with the Dépor game, then suddenly parked up when the superstars left town. I think one of the wheels off it ended up in Inchicore on the last day of the season though.

Slash/ED

seansouth wrote:

Slash/ED wrote:

It's all about getting a bandwagon rolling, I suppose/QUOTE]

The bandwagon started with the Dépor game, then suddenly parked up when the superstars left town. I think one of the wheels off it ended up in Inchicore on the last day of the season though.

If you think that was the bandwagon rolling, wait until we knock out Strum Graz or one of those in the third round qualifyers on the way to the CL group stages next year

_blank_

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but there is more news on this.

Fingal Independant wrote:

Shelbourne stadium ‘within three years’

Friday December 17th 2004
By Donncha MacRaghnaill

KICK OFF for the new Shelbourne FC stadium in Donabate could be as early as the 2007 season, according to the club’s chairman.
If all goes to plan and no extra time is added to the planning process the Reds are hoping to begin their 2007 season, starting that March, in their new Fingal home.
Club Chairman Finbar Flood said: ‘My feeling is that if everything went well without a hitch, then preferably in three seasons we’d be in there. That might be a bit optimistic but it’s what we’re aiming for.’
He also said the club was anxious to meet all local clubs face to face to explain their plans and the benefits for the local sporting community.
Mr Flood outlined plans to the Fingal Independent, saying: ‘The key bit for us, is that a lot depends on rezoning and our thinking is that we’d get €15 million out of Tolka Park, that’s where we are mentally.’
He said that all that money would be needed to build the estimated €11 million stadium with a capacity of 7,500 as part of a UEFA standard campus.
This would include a full-size weather pitch, two full-size pitches and two seven-a-side pitches as well as up-to-date training facilities such as a gym and modern clubhouse.
‘Ideally everyone wanted to stay in Tolka Park but realistically we have to move - it is very constrained in space - we can’t grow as a club,’ he said, saying that between €120 and €130,000 a year was currently being spent in leasing other facilities to train in.
The Donabate site earmarked on around 23 acres of land on the right hand side of the Hearse Road off the Lissenhall interchange close to Jones’ Fruit Farm.
Mr Flood said a new campus would allow all the clubs activities to be located on the one site while it would also provide an identity to the club.
‘It gives us in one patch everything we want and we believe we can put something back into the area,’ said Mr Flood.
He said he would be totally against a club ‘if it looked like it was just descending on to the area’.
‘If I was building up school boys teams for years and felt this crowd was coming in to take over I’d be very upset,’ he said. ‘We don’t want to be in conflict with the school boys teams and are willing to meet any group and want to meet them.’
With this in mind Mr Flood said he, along with club manager Pat Fenlon would be delighted to attend a meeting hosted by the Fingal Independent in the New Year open to all interested sporting bodies and others in the area.
‘If they want to discuss or feel they can use the facilities or coaches it can all be worked out but we won’t force it on anyone,’ Mr Flood said, saying the club had 26 full time professional coaches on hand.
‘We don’t want to land in to the middle of a patch. We want to integrate,’ he said.
Consultant for Shelbourne FC and former Fingal councillor, Cathal Boland said that he had first approached the club with a view to choosing a north Fingal site some 18 months ago.
‘In essence the Community Department are eager to see this type of facility being located adjacent to the county town,’ Mr Boland said.

© Fingal Independent

ps Mods - is it ok to quote full articles?

thejollyrodger

great post. I hope that planning goes to schedule !!