McManus digs deep to send Limerick back to their roots

FOOTBALL’S coming home for Limerick FC who are set to return to the Markets Field after an absence of some 30 years.

The county’s well-known sporting benefactor, JP McManus – who has already donated millions to Limerick rugby and GAA and who began his career as a bookmaker at the Markets Field – is the man the city’s soccer supporters have to thank, after the Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership announced yesterday that it had reached agreement with Bord na gCon to acquire the stadium for a sum in excess of €1.5m in a deal bankrolled by the JP McManus Charitable Foundation.

The reaction at the club to the news was one of delight, with sources saying that it is hoped that Limerick can be back in the stadium in time for the start of the 2012 season. In the interim, considerable refurbishment – including the removal of the greyhound track – will be undertaken, with club officials confident that the new facilities will also act as a long-term boost to raising revenue through corporate sponsorship and other match-day events.