Shelbourne plan a move to Donabate

Dub13

Shelbourne to sell Tolka Park in move to Donabate

Shelbourne FC is planning to sell off Tolka Park stadium in Drumcondra, North Dublin for €40m to developers and open an integrated facility in North County Dublin


Tuesday December 14th 2004


SHELBOURNE FC is planning to sell off Tolka Park stadium in Drumcondra, North Dublin for €40m to developers.

This will allow it fund a top-of-the-range integrated sports campus in Donabate capable of holding up to 8,000 people.

The current Eircom National League champions have already held discussions with developers and with Dublin city councillors going back over 18 months about getting its Drumcondra power base rezoned as suitable for residential use.

At the same time, Shelbourne is in talks with Fingal Country Council about getting a greenfield site in Donabate rezoned to allow them fulfil their ambitious stadium plans that will also include a gym, junior soccers pitches and all-weather playing field.

The complexity of these negotiations, according to club chairman Finbarr Flood, means the club is unlikely to leave Drumcondra until at least three years' time.

"Our objective is to get all of our activities on to the one site," he said, adding the club currently uses five different locations to train and play matches.

Mr Flood said having everything on the one site would lead to major synergies both in terms of improving the quality of facilities available to its players and eliminating the €130,000 a year it currently costs it to rent pitches around North county Dublin.

The Shelbourne chairman stressed that any move would be subject to getting local councils' approval and was ultimately designed to allow the club to better compete in Europe.

The story first emerged in the Fingal Independent which quoted Senan Turbull, a senior Fingal County Council executive, as saying the move was "a great opportunity to have a premier team in Fingal".

It is understood the FAI has had no direct talks with Shelbourne. However, they are expected to do so next year as part of major talks with all of the Eircom League teams about their structural development.

In a separate development, Shamrock Rovers has also turned to property developers for help.

Businessman Conor Clarkson is in the process of buying out Mulden International, a property development firm led by Bernard McNamara, who half-built the Hoops unfinished stadium in Tallaght for under €3m.

Mr Clarkson is expected to invest around €8.5m in buying out Mulden and getting the stadium back on track early next year.

He is then expected to attempt to get the surrounding land around the stadium rezoned to allow him build a leisure complex and retail space strategically located opposite The Square in Tallaght.

Tom Lyons



© Irish Independent
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ & http://www.unison.ie/
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Have a look here

thejollyrodger

maybe the mod could merge these two threads since they are about the exact same thing and quite recent.

Shame no pictures have been released about the new stadium.

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I don't know if plans are that far advanced tjr.

Tolka park hasn't even been rezoned yet, which needs to happen, as the club will be using the money from the sale of Tolka to developers to buy the Donabate site.

I hope this doesn't turn out like the Shamrock Rovers débacle.

:eek: