New board to oversee Sports Campus

SPORTS Minister John O’Donoghue has set January 1 next for the establishment of the National Sports Campus Development Authority.

This new Board will have the powers of a statutory body and will oversee the planning and development of a sports campus at Abbotstown.

The Authority will succeed Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Company Ltd (CSID), which will be dissolved with effect from January 1.

The Minister has also announced the Chairperson and Board of Directors for the National Sports Campus Development Authority, a number of whom served on the Board of CSID.

The Chairperson is Mr Dan Flinter and the members attached have been appointed for periods of between three and five years.

Making the announcement Minister O’Donoghue said: “This new statutory authority and the function and responsibility they will carry out underlines this Government’s commitment to bring our sporting infrastructure into line with best international standards.

“The Sports Campus can be seen as a real and tangible symbol of Ireland’s determination to compete on the international stage by ensuring that our sports men and women have at their disposal cutting edge sporting facilities. It is a vital component in our developing sporting infrastructure and will provide the ideal venue for the many people who visit it and for our elite athletes in their preparations for future sporting events.

The Minister added: “There are challenges ahead but I have every confidence that each member will bring his or her own skills and experience to the board and to the project.”

The Minister paid tribute to the members of the outgoing board and its Chairman and thanked them for their commitment and diligent public service to the stewardship of CSID.

“I have every confidence that this excellent Board will drive the project forward and that we will have a world-class facility of which all Irish people can be proud”, he concluded.

The full board is as follows: Dan Flinter, Mary Davis, Lucy Gaffney, John Treacy, Caroline Murphy, Tom Kiernan, Sean Benton, William Attley, Pat Hickey, Con Haugh, Christy O’Connell, Miriam O’Callaghan and Sean Donnelly.