Make stadium dream for all sports

AS the Government inches towards a crucial decision on the location of a much scaled-down national >stadium, all the signs are that Abbotstown is the front-runner over revamped IRFU rugby grounds at Lansdowne Road.

No doubt, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will be relieved to see an end to controversy which has raged ever since the so-called 'Bertie Bowl' was first mooted.

At a time when disabled people were fighting for basic rights and services, as they still are to this day, and hospital queues were never-ending, and when young couples could not afford a home of their own, the sheer financial insanity and the staggering political insensitivity of a concept that would have cost the taxpayer over E1 billion, was incredible.

With unerring judgement, the public dismissed it as a scheme fitting for a Banana Republic scheme and conceived on a scale Ireland just could not afford and did not need. Cynics put it down to an ego trip on the part of a sports-mad Taoiseach.

Only when this outlandish concept encountered direct opposition from the PDs, adroitly flagged on the eve of the last general election, did the Government come to its senses and drop the 85,000-seat stadium like the hot potato it was.

The venture was finally given the kiss of death when self-appointed guardian of the PD conscience, Justice Minister Michael McDowell, compared it to something that might have come out of Ceaucescu's Romania.

Yet the idea of building a national stadium has not gone away. However worthy the cause, debate continues to flare, as evidenced by the present furore in the GAA where the old brigade are busy mounting a rearguard action to stave off demands, from both outside and within the organisation, to open Croke Park for Ireland's international soccer matches.

More than a year has passed and the IRFU and the FAI, and a wide spectrum of sports people of every persuasion, are keenly anticipating Mr O'Donoghue's fresh initiative.

When he unveils the new proposal at a Cabinet meeting next month, the minister will outline a range of options on the cost, size, and location of a national stadium. As things stand, there are only two contenders worthy of the name the 50,000 seater at Lansdowne Road or a 65,000 capacity venture at Abbotstown in West Dublin.

While the latter looks a winner, the Lansdowne Road site also has much going for it. Firstly, it is uniquely accessible as a city centre location.

Furthermore, the IRFU proposal for a stadium aligned on the present north-south access, would not require significant change and, therefore, would be unlikely to meet an overly aggressive reaction from local residents.

As against this, it would be much cheaper to build a bigger facility at Abbotstown where the National Aquatics Centre already exists.

Given the availability of land for possible expansion along Campus Ireland lines, and provided the road and rail network are improved, it is emerging as the odds-on favourite.

As the new year dawns, there is less opposition, if not a rising tide of public support for a more reasonably sized, and more realistically priced project where rugby, soccer and, hopefully, Gaelic football and hurling, can all be played in future years, bringing a truly national dimension to the stadium dream.