Dublin chairman Seavers: Staycity deal equivalent to previous sponsorships

NEW DEAL: Staycity Aparthotels has been announced as the new main sponsor of Dublin GAA. In attendance at the launch are, frrom left, footballer Brian Fenton and Caoimhe O'Connor, Staycity Aparthotels chief executive Tom Walsh, Dublin GAA chief executive Finbar O’Mahony, camogie player Emma O'Byrne and hurler Donal Burke. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Dublin GAA chairman Mick Seavers says their new sponsorship deal with Staycity Aparthotels is 'equivalent' to previous agreements and will help finance the Hollystown training centre project.

Seavers declined to put an exact figure on the five-year, multi-million euro arrangement but said it is similar to the previous deal with global insurance giants AIG.

Wednesday's announcement of a new backer for all four codes in the capital came in the wake of Dublin GAA's recent application for planning permission to develop lands they own at the Spawell site in south Dublin, just off the M50.

The 35-acre complex was purchased for a reported EUR9m in 2017 and Seavers estimated that it could take until mid-2024 for planning permission to be granted.

Work on developing a separate training centre at the Hollystown complex in north-west Dublin, close to the Meath border, should be well underway by then.

Similar to what is planned for Spawell, there will be four pitches at the Hollystown facility along with an indoor training area, dressing rooms, analysis and first-aid rooms and hurling wall.

"With the Hollystown project at the moment, we're actually waiting on tender prices which will come in at somewhere around 15 million-plus," said Seavers. 

"It's a lot of money but it is to safeguard the future of Dublin GAA and that's why the (sponsorship) deal is so important. A lot of that money will go into the professional fees and it will go into all the work that needs to be done there."

It's hoped that the Hollystown complex will be ready for use within two years. Seavers said the local Tyrrelstown GAA club will play a key part in the project.

"We struck a deal with Glenveagh (construction) and part of it was to help the local club Tyrrelstown," continued Seavers. "As part of the process, we'll furnish a pitch for Tyrrelstown, it's to try to give them a leg up and to help them grow. They're a fledgling club."

Aside from the Spawell and Hollystown training centres, Dublin GAA also hopes to get the use of new pitches at Rathcoole. The county board has owned a plot of land in the area for a number of decades though it has yet to be developed.

"In Rathcoole, there's development going on out there from the County Council point of view," explained Seavers. "We're kind of going in tandem with them and we'll get two pitches and a juvenile pitch and dressing-rooms. It's a partnership we're entering into with South Dublin."

Seavers is hopeful that the training hubs will help with the huge demand for pitches and facilities throughout Dublin. He noted that just 29 percent of pitches used by clubs in the capital are actually owned by them.

"Everything else is city councils and colleges helping us," he said. "It's so, so difficult to get land. You couldn't compete at EUR200,000 to EUR250,000 an acre and the land just gets snapped up. That's been the driving force behind all these (projects).

"I would say as well that they are not centres of excellence, they are clusters (of pitches) that will be available to schools, colleges and clubs and while we may base some of our county teams there, it wouldn't be what people regard as a centre of excellence. In this day and age, it becomes an elitist place if you term it that and that's what we don't want in Dublin GAA."

Part of the challenge with developing the Spawell complex will be dealing with the businesses that currently operate there, including a golf driving range run by former European Tour winner Peter Lawrie.

"We have to go and get planning permission firstly and that could take until maybe March or June of next year," said Seavers of Spawell. 

"Then we'll have a look at how we finance it. We're tied into a deal with Croke Park and we have some businesses up there that are leased so we have to be considerate of that.

"Spawell (as a project) was badly affected by Covid, it kind of stopped the train moving. Between that and Hollystown, it's two projects that we think are vital for the survival and particularly the growth of Gaelic Games in Dublin. Clubs just don't have space anymore.

"This would be a great help for all the clubs, right across Dublin. It's not just for clubs that are in the area. We could provide assistance there all throughout the year for colleges and schools, even Leinster club matches and that."