New Cricket Ireland Stadium - Abbotstown

Strumms · 19-11-2022 3:06am #1

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/2022/11/17/irish-cricket-to-get-permanent-stadium-on-sport-ireland-campus-at-abbotstown/

Malahide has a definite relaxed charm, nice atmosphere and good to read that there will still be an odd fixture there too.

strange though that in depth details are so scant given the go ahead is happening.

hopefully the capacity is planned with crickets status here as the fastest growing sport in the country. 15,000 minimum I reckon is required with Malahide regularly hosting 10,000…but this being Ireland …

Strumms · 30-01-2023 3:28pm

https://www.rte.ie/sport/cricket/2023/0129/1352560-deutrom-new-stadium-just-what-irish-cricket-needs/

..

iffandonlyif · 11-06-2023 5:38pm

I’m very ambivalent about this. Malahide is such a pleasant place to watch cricket. To be moving to some generic stadium…in Blanchardstown…in a second-rate ‘sporting complex’…is just so depressing. It’s almost emphasising that cricket is a niche sport in Ireland.

There are so many attractive cricket grounds around the world and I’ve always felt that while Ireland mightn’t yet be competing against the test nations, in Malahide we have a ground of which we can be proud. I cringe at the thought of bussing the Indian cricket team, say, out to Abbotstown and visiting fans having to troupe through housing estates.

I understand that Malahide is expensive, too small and logistically difficult, but leaving it will be a lamentable loss of character.

TrueDub · 11-06-2023 8:45pm

Malahide is picturesque, but a disaster in terms of cost, and a temporary stadium in a field is nothing to be proud of, frankly.

And it's not like there's hundreds of years of tradition anchoring the Irish team to that location - Clontarf was the home of international cricket until quite recently. Sadly, running internationals there now is a complete non-starter due to space issues.

If moving to Abottstown is done correctly (proper stadium, catering, bars etc along with decent transport & parking options) it'll be streets ahead of anywhere else.

Alternatively, I'm sure there are several places north of Malahide that might be appropriate for a cricket stadium...

Strumms · 12-06-2023 2:37pm

I love Malahide, it’s an immensely nice setting and an all round pleasant experience…

I wonder did anyone ever look into the provision of more permanent seating and a pavilion there…? If done and designed nicely and with empathy to its surroundings it wouldn’t detract from the area.. maybe access would be an issue though.

personally I think it could be done, should be done…

id say though getting the planning past residents might be a nightmare…. Any increase in capacity they’d be all over it like wildfire… not like the locals out there couldn’t afford the best legal experts and so on.

TrueDub · 12-06-2023 2:55pm

There is a pavilion, it's the only permanent structure around the ground in that photo and is at roughly 9 o'clock just above the tennis courts.

Everything else, and I mean everything, needs to be shipped in, assembled, and then disassembled and shipped out. It feels exactly like what it is, a temporary ground in a large field. It has little to no atmosphere, IMO, and suffers from being more of a festival setup than a sports ground.

Strumms · 12-06-2023 3:27pm

True, there was planning for upgrading including providing a more modern pavilion suitable for modern day international cricket…

O’Dwyer and associates were the architects…

duuno what’s happening now.

iffandonlyif · 13-06-2023 6:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120702831#Comment_120702831

Perhaps there is no other solution than moving but you’re dissolving the dilemma by understating the attraction of Malahide. It mightn’t do much for you but it’s a delight to me and several people I know to take the Dart out to Malahide for matches.

Temporary stadium ‘in a field’? It’s in the grounds of a castle! You say Abbotstown will be streets ahead. But on what measure? Certainly not on character.

TrueDub · 14-06-2023 8:19am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120711070#Comment_120711070

If it has permanent toilets, it'll be streets ahead.

If it has permanent dressing rooms, it'll be streets ahead.

If it has permanent officials facilities, it'll be streets ahead.

If it has permanent dining facilities and bars, it'll be streets ahead.

Malahide is in a field - which happens to be next to a castle. Big deal. "Character" is a nebulous enough concept when dealing with sporting facilities, and tends to be something people worry about when the actual needs of the player, the spectator and the game are met.

I'm glad you like Malahide so much, each to his own. But as a venue to play, officiate or spectate it has lots of drawbacks and little enough to commend it.

Doodah7 · 30-06-2023 8:38am

And if you are not on the DART line, it is hell to get to.

Strumms · 23-07-2023 9:43pm

What about Abbotstown… Castleknock is the nearest train station… a 35 minute walk away from Sports Ireland Campus. That’s according to SI themselves.

im a 15 minute drive to the train/dart. Then Malahide station is 3 minutes from the cricket in Malahide…

I understand the point though about permanent facilities.

hopefully too costs remain reasonable…..that was one of the arguments of moving the associated costs of putting in temporary stands and other facilities at Malahide was prohibitive. I don’t see the cost to the fan being cheaper personally..

New Cricket Ireland Stadium - Abbotstown

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