Stuck in the mud on field of dreams

In a six-part series appearing all this week, a number of our leading sportswriters reflect on their own favourite haunts and how they’ve changed over the years.

IF you drive through the gates of the wonderfully appointed University of Limerick it won’t be long before you come across the internationally renowned UL Sports Arena.

Developed at a cost of €28m and opened in 2002, it houses, among countless other facilities, Ireland’s first 50m swimming pool to be built to Olympic standards. It caters annually for over a half a million customers, among whom often are international athletes and teams.