Stadium to be built at Abbotstown as dockside plan is ditched

THE National Stadium will be built on the Government’s land at Abbotstown, West Dublin, and not on the dockside at Ringsend, as has been suggested in some circles.

Recent reports suggested Sports Campus Ireland and Government officials were re-considering the merits of Abbotstown as the preferred site for the proposed stadium.

The stadium was to be the main feature of a complex including a 50m swimming pool, gym, velodrome, tennis courts, golf academy, sports medical centre and offices to house national sports federations.

Work on the national aquatic centre is well advanced. Workers are tiling the pool, which will host the swimming events at the Special Olympics next year. Work is also advanced on the building of leisure facilities. These will include the various slides that are part and parcel of all modern aquatic centres and a pool with a continuous surfing wave.

The work is proceeding according to schedule and on track and should be completed by the end of the year, in plenty of time for all of the facilities to be fine-tuned prior to the Special Olympics.

An informed source said yesterday: "When it is completed the aquatic centre will be the biggest leisure water facility in Europe.

"Quite apart from the scale of the project, the quality of the facilities and of the workmanship will ensure that Ireland will be the envy of the rest of Europe. It will prove to be hugely popular."

The centre will be run by the same organisation that looks after the Waterworld facility in Tralee and projections suggest it will be a commercial success.

Swim Ireland, the national governing body for swimming, will be afforded a special contract ensuring the competitive facilities will be exclusively available to their members for a period every day.

The entire facility will be open to the public as well every day and the volume of traffic that is anticipated will ensure its success. The proximity of the centre at Abbotstown to the rapidly growing suburb of Blanchardstown is regarded as crucial to its success.

Yet misgivings have been expressed as to the suitability of the site at Abbotstown for the national stadium.

The big drawback is the need for proper infrastructure transport services, access routes, parking facilities.

The site is eight miles west of Dublin airport and ideally a rail link would be provided.

The desirability also of having a stadium nearer the city centre caused some to look elsewhere. The availability of space on the dockside, Ringsend, at the Irish Glass sit on the docks at Ringsend suggested this was an attractive option.

Comparisons were drawn with the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff where the city-centre location adds to the attractiveness of the stadium.

My information is, however, that Ringsend is no longer considered a viable option. It is densely populated area and any attempt to build a major sports centre on the doorsteps of a densely populated parish would likely be resisted vigorously by residents.

The on-going need for the GAA to consult with residents' groups near Croke Park has been an influencing factor in this regard. Planners have noted the difficulties the GAA have had in adding to their programme of matches and reacted in favour of Abbotstown.

The economic climate is not as favourable as it was when the Government first announced its plans for Sports Campus Ireland so no attempt to build the full range of sports facilities there will be made in the immediate future.

But the Government is committed to supporting the FAI bid to co-host the European Championship finals in 2008 and is therefore committed to building a football stadium.

And the decision to proceed with this work at Abbotstown should be announced in the near future.