Cork soccer club to get site that had been earmarked for FAI ‘Centre of Excellence’
In July 2015, Cork County Council agreed to lease land at Brooklodge, Glanmire to the FAI for the project, but the footballing body has since notified the council it wouldn’t be proceeding with the project after it ran into financial difficulty. Picture: Denis Minihane
Land formerly earmarked for a now defunct €10m FAI ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Cork is to be transferred to a local soccer club on the condition that while it acquires the biggest occupancy it also works with other sporting bodies and community groups to develop the whole site.
In July 2015, Cork County Council agreed to lease land at Brooklodge, Glanmire to the FAI for the project. However, after several years the footballing body notified the council it wouldn’t be proceeding with the project after it ran into financial difficulty.
Members of the Cobh Municipal District Council, which oversees that area, have been informed that talks between senior council officials and the FAI have led to a resolution and the site is now to be sublet to the local Riverstown Soccer Club.
In a report to local councillors, council officials said they are "satisfied the club has the financial capacity, good governance, approved borrowing facility, sports capital grant approval, the backing of the FAI and a growing membership which combine to enable them to develop a portion of the lands which will serve a significant cohort of the community currently availing of facilities outside of the area".
The report added that the financial savings the club will make when it is in a position to no longer use external facilities will enable servicing of the cost of the development.
A condition of the agreement is the club develops a masterplan for the whole site. It will only need a proportion of it and the remainder will be used by other sporting codes and community groups.
There have been many calls for facilities from various organisations in the region seeking a home for their activities and the council says this site provides an opportunity to address such requests.
Another condition of the deal is that the soccer club must develop its facilities on the site within three years, but the council has received assurances that it is in a position to proceed immediately with its plans.
Officials said the development will provide the opportunity to bridge the gap in provision for girls and ladies’ soccer in the region.
"The site will not be restricted in use to any single sporting code. It's envisaged a number of uses and beneficiaries will be included as part of the masterplanning process which will be undertaken in the coming months," the report added.
Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry said “we’re going in the right direction with this” adding that up to now the whole thing had “been a bloody mess".
Fianna Fáil councillor Sheila O’Callaghan said it is a pity the land had been lying idle so long but it’s good to see something finally happening with it.
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