Finn Harps' stadium switch gets half a million euro boost

1 July 2022; Dylan Watts of Shamrock Rovers takes a free kick during the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division match between Finn Harps and Shamrock Rovers at Finn Park in Ballybofey, Donegal. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

A frustrating wait for Finn Harps to inhabit a new stadium appears to be nearing endgame after Donegal County Council granted an extra €500,000 to complete the project.

The League of Ireland club announced in May plans to halve the proposed seated capacity to 3,300 as delays and construction inflation threatened to scupper the development.

Elements of the original design were removed to cut costs and following research the model being proceeded with is modular, a form of stadium commonplace across modern venues in the English lower leagues and Scotland.

Moves to relocate from the Premier Division club’s current outdated base in Finn Park have been in the pipeline for almost 20 years with €1m already spent on the venue in Stranorlar which has fallen into a state of disrepair.

Last year, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, under the Large-Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF), announced a provisional grant €3.991m towards the stadium's construction, with the FAI providing another €500,000.

Strong support for the venue’s potential to the local community was evident at a meeting on Monday of Donegal County Council.

With funding secured, hopes are high that the move-in timeline of 2024 is achieved.

"This is a great day for Donegal, for sport and for Finn Harps and I know work will begin at the earliest opportunity," said Cllr Patrick McGowan, lauding the efforts of the Harps committee and the various agencies involved.

Although the club’s first-team face a battle to retain their Premier Division status – only goal difference separating them from bottom side UCD – Finn Harps as an overall entity remain on a solid footing.