Search for centre of excellence site means another waiting game begins for Cork

It’s 16 years since club delegates in Cork were told such a hub was a priority.

Fri, 19 Dec, 2025 - 13:18

John Fogarty

When Cork chairman Pat Horgan announced last week they were ringfencing €1.75m in 2026 for a long overdue centre of excellence, the reaction in the county was mixed.

“Finally” was the common take. It’s 16 years since club delegates were told such a hub was a priority. Then county secretary Frank Murphy said work on a site in Knocknaheeny was going to begin in early 2010. Croke Park had committed €2m.

Between the digs and deals precipitated by the excessive redevelopment costs of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, a training home for county representatives never materialised.

The other reaction from clubs to Horgan’s revelation was “well, we have paid for it”. It was partly because of levies placed on clubs earlier this year, that a centre of excellence is now closer to a reality.

And if and when the Kilbarry site is sold, Cork GAA will be able to clear a large part of the €30m-plus debt, allowing it to restructure the remainder and strengthening its ability to help finance the centre of excellence.

Outside Cork, there is a sense that they have a lot of ground to make up to break ground. The €1.75m figure, €500,000 of which is coming from Cork GAA, may be seed money but such are the prices being quoted for centre of excellences these days that it only a fraction of what will be required.

If they wish to match what their neighbours Limerick are doing, that initial figure is about 10% of the total amount. Before the end of the year, Limerick will submit an application for planning permission for the 95-acre site in Crecora outside Patrickswell.

There, they plan to build six floodlit natural pitches and two floodlit artificial playing surfaces as well as indoor one and a pavilion featuring dressing rooms, a gym, physio and meeting rooms.

The land was bought with the aid of the county’s academy patron Gerry McManus, a gesture similar to the one made by John Magnier who has offered Tipperary GAA 14 acres to extend their centre of excellence in Coolmore Morris Park.

As the naming rights of the facility beside FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles were awarded to Magnier’s horse-racing business last year, there was a sense another announcement was in the pipeline.

That came last month when the board announced €12m plans to complete a centre of excellence with an additional three pitches by the end of 2027 and a state-of-the art building by ’29.

Magnier’s business rival Maurice Regan has been one of his native Kerry’s great donators and fundraisers and considered key to the development of the county’s centre of excellence in Currans, which is being further expanded. As current chairman Patrick O’Sullivan said of Regan 10 years ago: “Maurice got New York around a table for Kerry, the energy of this man is unreal.”

A new 4G pitch at the cost of €1.2m, paid for by Munster GAA, is to be installed at Currans with another pitch to be used by the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA). Opened in early 2022 at an initial cost of €8m, Munster GAA have thus far contributed €3.2m and team sponsors Kerry Group €2m.

Cork, you would imagine, won’t be short of major benefactors but the construction of the site is likely to be done incrementally. Last month, Clare announced a €2m tender for an all-weather pitch at their centre of excellence in Caherlohan outside Tulla, which was opened in 2015.

The project is partly funded by a Government capital sports grant worth €487,000 (the facility received €3.2m in total). Expect Cork to lobby hard when that application process opens again.

But they will have competition not only from Limerick and Tipperary but the likes of Mayo, Kilkenny, Longford, Galway, and Westmeath too. Also without a centre of excellence, Mayo want to construct a €15m hub in Bohola, which will include four pitches and a pavilion.

Kilkenny are hoping to expand their own centre in Dunmore to include five new pitches and a new building. Opened 10 years ago, Dunmore currently has two floodlit pitches.

Last year, Galway GAA came together with their affiliate LGFA and camogie bodies to enquire about a 100-acre parcel of land close to the closed airport outside the city.

Longford have acquired over 36 acres beside Glennon Brothers Pearse Park and are to lodge for planning permission in the early part of 2026. Beside St Loman’s Hospital in Mullingar, Westmeath GAA purchased a 48-acre site from the HSE for just over €1m last year.

But land ownership is, of course, only half of the story. In last year’s round of sports capital grants, Dublin GAA received €7m towards developing its southside centre of excellence in Spawell, Templeogue but work there is unlikely to commence for quite some time yet.

In his annual report earlier this week, Dublin GAA chief executive Finbarr O’Mahony highlighted three appeals are currently holding up planning permission.

“While we respect the planning process and await the decision of An Bord Pleanála, it is unfortunate that in the event of the granting of permission we are likely to experience considerable building cost inflation due to the significant time lapse.

“This is concerning and particularly unfortunate given the nature and scale of the proposed development, the enhancement of the range and quality of playing facilities assets available to the local community and the promotion and growth of Gaelic games in the area.”

Cork chairman Horgan mentioned similar themes like “maximising participation” and “optimising performance for all the teams in our Gaelic games family”.

It is hoped the land will be identified and procured in 2026. Another waiting game for Cork GAA.