Limerick may play league games in Rathkeale

Limerick GAA chiefs hope their Centre of Excellence in Rathkeale will host National League games in the near future.

Redevelopment work at the venue is set to pick up pace following the inking of a major funding agreement with the Munster Council this week.

On Tuesday night, Board delegates unanimously approved a €500,000 financial package, agreed between the Limerick County Committee and the Munster Council as part of the recently approved five-year Munster Council Budgetary Framework.

The agreement will see the Limerick Board debts written down by €233,000, while €267,000 is being provided to fund development works in Rathkeale and some minor works at the Gaelic Grounds. In addition to the construction of a gym, dressing rooms, meeting rooms and parking facilities, a 2,500-seater stand is planned for Rathkeale with the work due to be completed this time next year.

“The grant is a massive boost to Limerick GAA,” said county board PRO Eamonn Phelan.

“We had a board meeting on Tuesday night and everybody was in favour of this, as you can imagine.

“The money will be very important in terms of finishing off the development in Rathkeale, the timeframe is around 12 months or so.

“It will be used by underage and adult Limerick teams, so it’s a project that is vital for the future success of Limerick.

“Ideally, you’d be hoping that Rathkeale could be used for national league games too rather than having to open up the Gaelic Grounds for every match.”

Already, some €350,000 – distributed centrally after Croke Park was opened up to rugby and soccer – has gone towards the Rathkeale project. It is hoped a sports capital grant will further help to cover the total cost, which is around €1.1m.

Phelan continued: “The last number of years, there have been a few headaches and repaying some of this money will relieve that. It will make life easier for the treasurer, as that role has been difficult at times.”

The €17,000 left over will cover small works at the Gaelic Grounds, with the upgrade of the public address system amongst the priorities.

Limerick County Board chairman, Oliver Mann, added “This grant will assist us greatly in moving ahead with the development project at our Centre of Excellence, which will see a modern facility constructed comprising of new dressing rooms, meeting rooms and gym as well as a spectator stand that will facilitate us in holding club championship and other games.

The writedown of debt will also greatly assist us in our day to day cash flow and will allow us to concentrate on continuing to grow and develop the Association in Limerick.”

Munster Council chairman, Robert Frost said “I am delighted to announce the approval of this package, which will be a major financial boost to the GAA in Limerick. The Council is very fortunate to be in a position to make grants like this available and we are most thankful to our supporters across the province, who attend our games in such large numbers each year.”

This agreement follows on from the recent approval of a €500,000 financial package for Waterford, which is being used to write down debt, fund cash flow and to fund development works at Walsh Park.