Confirmed: FAI shelves plan for €12m Centre of Excellence in Cork

Artists impressions of FAI Centre of Excellence Glanmire.

THE FAI has confirmed that it has shelved plans for a €12m football Centre of Excellence in Glanmire, Co Cork.

In a brief communique Tuesday evening, the Association said: “The Football Association of Ireland can confirm that after careful consideration, our Board and the Executive, has taken the decision not to proceed with the Glanmire project as first proposed in 2015.

“As part of a wider review of football facilities across the country, it is the Board’s view that the original proposal no longer represents the greatest return on investment for the parties involved.

“The FAI, however, looks forward to working with Cork County Council to ensure the site can still benefit the local football community and we have engaged with the Department to review other options to retain the broader commitment to football in both Cork and Munster.”

It was an FAI project launched amid great fanfare at the tail end of 2016. A dedicated football Centre of Excellence for Munster, located in Glanmire, outside Cork city on a 30-acre site close to the N8 motorway.

Cork City FC would be anchor tenants, but the three grass pitches, one full size Astro, three more smaller pitches, a viewing terrace and pavilion would, finally, create a footballing hub for the game in the south at a cost of around €12-15m.

The FAI’s well-ventilated financial issues nourished speculation over the dearth of progress in the meantime, but with Government funding in place – though not to the extent envisaged by football’s governing body – hopes remained high that the development work would begin and, as the Association put it, “act as a catalyst to unify the different strands of the game in Munster.” There was even talks of countries using it as a training base for major tournaments in the future.

Not to be, however. Following inquiries from the Irish Examiner, the FAI put out a statement on Tuesday, nixing the project.

Work on the project was due to begin in 2017 and take around two and a half years to complete. But by 2019, there hadn’t been a sod turned, with local independent councillor Ger Keohane feeling the heat from local constituents. 

He told The Echo: “If the FAI is not going to develop the site maybe Cork County Council should consider the lease and maybe use it as a multi-purpose area for local soccer and GAA clubs. Ladies football and camogie at Sarsfields GAA need pitch space. Glanmire Athletic Club also needs space. We could develop a model that accommodates all sports. It’s a massive space and we could be looking at another three or four years before anything is decided around funding,” he added.

The land was to be leased long-term from Cork County Council to the FAI and had been rezoned for sport and recreational use. The conditional application was granted in May 2016, and extended successfully in May 2021. It ceases to be effective in July 2026, ‘if not substantially developed at that point’, public records show.

Leaving this failure exclusively at the door of the beleaguered FAI is a tad facile though their parlous financial position was clearly a huge impediment to progress. However, changes in Cork City FC at board level and then to its ownership also put the brakes on local commitment to the project.

When it was unveiled, the FAI project was supported by the trust that ran Cork City, FORAS, and the local authority, with ex-Taoiseach Micheál Martin, delighting at the vision/ “Football in Cork City has a proud history - a history steeped in success - and the proposed Centre of Excellence will ensure future generations will benefit.

“This development, a partnership between the FAI, Cork County Council and the trust that operates Cork City Football Club (FORAS), is exactly how sporting facilities should be developed. This is an example of different stakeholders working together for the benefit of all.”