FAI/IRFU stadium will need state aid
The two bodies are due to meet next month to draw up proposals for the construction of a major new sports facility to act as the main base for the national soccer and rugby teams.
A FAI source said last night that such a much-needed development was “extremely unlikely,” if the Government did not help with funding the cost of the stadium.
It is now widely recognised that both organisations are preparing to work in tandem on the development of a new arena, following the withdrawal of State support for the National Stadium at Abbotstown due to a downturn in Government revenues.
The future of the facility, nicknamed the Bertie Bowl, is also unclear, despite the recent declaration of interest in its development by 23 private sector groups. Investors are likely to fall off, however, if the FAI and IRFU appear to commit themselves to playing most international games in their own stadium.
“Put simply, we need to have a stadium as soon as possible, especially as the future of Abbotstown is so uncertain,” said one sporting source yesterday.
The decision of the FAI and IRFU to push forward with plans for a €250m stadium is also likely to place pressure on the Government to support any such project.
It is expected the two organisations will ask the Government to provide as much as 50% of the funding on the basis that it would still cost considerably less than the original €400m estimate for the Abbotstown project.
The soccer and rugby bodies believe they could raise up to €100m from advanced ticket sales.
Both organisations have become extremely frustrated at the lack of pace in the development of a modern sports stadium to host international games following delays in plans for Abbotstown and the abandonment of the proposed Eircom Park site in west Dublin.
The IRFU recognises their current home at Lansdowne Road lacks facilities expected of a modern stadium, while the FAI have no venue of their own.
Among the options likely to be considered, by the two sports bodies, is a redevelopment of Lansdowne Road with the main pitch being turned 90 degrees. Other possibilities are a number of sites which have been identified in the Dublin Docklands area.
