Limerick GAA eyes 95 acres of Patrickswell land to develop Centre of Excellence

BADGE OF HONOUR: The Limerick dressing room

Limerick are in the process of acquiring a 95-acre farm outside Patrickswell with the aim of developing a state-of-the-art centre of excellence, Examiner Sport understands.

The land in Crecora has been purchased with the assistance of Gerry McManus, a long-time patron of GAA in the county.

Limerick GAA officials have already consulted with city and county councils about formulating a planning application for the training hub, which will include several pitches. Details of the initiative are expected to be discussed at Tuesday evening's county board meeting.

At this time of year, Limerick senior teams train in Rathkeale’s Mick Neville Park where a new €1.2 million 705-seat stand was opened last October. New dressing rooms and a gym have also been installed at the venue, which comprises a 3G pitch that is due to be replaced later this year, and a floodlit main pitch.

Funding has also been secured for the redevelopment of the former St Endas Sports Complex on the Kilmallock Road in Limerick city where a new pitch has been laid and under-age inter-county teams have been training.

Establishing an academy in early 2011, Gerry McManus has been integral to the success of Limerick’s hurling teams in recent years. His brother JP has sponsored Limerick since 2005. In December, the McManus family gave each county board €1m to be distributed equally among clubs across the GAA, Ladies Gaelic Football and Camogie Associations.

Several counties are in the process of constructing or seeking planning permission or land for centres of excellence. Armagh recently turned the sod on a £10m facility in Portadown and Westmeath last weekend announced they had purchased a 48-acre site in Mullingar for €1.05m.

Dublin are seeking planning permission to build a centre of excellence on their 35-acre Spawell grounds in Templeogue just off the M50 having been given the green light for a similar initiative on the old Hollystown Golf Course in the north west of the county. In December, Roscommon received the go-ahead for their three-pitch facility just outside Roscommon town.

Last July, Longford bought 32 acres beside their Glennon Brothers Pearse Park home to develop a centre of excellence. Galway’s three GAA bodies recently wrote to local authorities, TDs and county councillors seeking their support for the development of a complex at Carnmore beside Galway airport.

Central Council has also earmarked funding for Down’s training centre in Ballykinlar and Cavan’s Polo Grounds at Kingspan Breffni. Speaking last week, GAA director general Tom Ryan estimated counties are looking to spend €200m on capital projects over the next 10 years.

Meanwhile, the future of Stephen Kelly as part of the Limerick senior football management team is in doubt. The former forward is not expected to be involved in Jimmy Lee’s set-up from this weekend’s Division 3, Round 3 game against Sligo in Rathkeale.

Limerick lost their opening two games to Antrim and Down and currently lie bottom of the table. Kelly is a Newcastle West club-mate of Lee’s and had been working alongside coach and former Limerick manager John Brudair, Pat Donnelly and strength and conditioning coach Micheál Cahill.