Former GAA President to spearhead Derry City project!

[snatter]

Does anybody else think that now would be a good time to look at a municipal joint gaelic games / soccer stadium, ie have one stadium, that could be used for both sports, say with a proper 10000 seater stand?

Something alonmg the lines of what tallaght should be?, ie publicy funded, and available to all sports, not just soccer?

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Former GAA President to spearhead Derry City project!

http://www.derrytoday.com/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=3422&ArticleID=1972770

Derry City Football Club has appointed former GAA President, Peter Quinn, to front the 'Candy Stripes' bid to take over and develop Brandywell Stadium, the 'Journal' can confirm.

The Fermanagh man, a former leading light within the Gaelic Athletic Association and a former member of the N. Ireland Parades Commission, will lead Derry's bid to secure grant funding to develop the Derry City Council owned facility.
Mr. Quinn played a pivotal role in securing funding to develop Dublin's Croke Park, the main GAA Stadium in the country which boasts in excess of 80,000 seats.
Having been approached by Brandywell Properties Trust., the organisation charged with upgrading the stadium on behalf of the club, Mr. Quinn's consultancy agreed to take on the role and it's believed he will seek funding from both the British and Irish Governments, plus the various lottery and sporting agencies, in an effort to raise as close to the anticipated £15 million costs as possible.
While work has been continuing over the past few months towards obtaining and developing the stadium on behalf of Derry City F.C., it has since become clear that, following on from a submission to the City Council, there would also be a submission to the government.
Brandywell Properties Trust confirmed details of the move in a statement to the "Journal".
The statement read: "The standard required for such a submission is such that the Trust felt it needed to appoint a consultant who was experienced and familiar with the standards required.
"The Trust is delighted to have appointed Peter Quinn Consultancy to front the production of our Business Plan which will be presented to Derry City Council in the near future and to Government in the early Spring of 2007.
"Peter Quinn Consultancy will produce an economic appraisal which will be to 'green book' standard to be presented to both the government and the City Council.
"In the meantime, the Trust appreciates and is grateful to the patience and forebearance shown by Derry City Council which has been awaiting this report for some time and we hope to reward that patience and forebearance with our business plan within the next six weeks."

The statement was jointly signed by the Brandywell Properties Trust chairman, Mr. Jack McCauley, and Derry City Chairman, Mr. Hugh McDaid.

[lynchbhoy]

I would think that a joint stadium would be a good move
with the other stadium either being receveloped as a shared youth sports amenity
or sold for housing/commercial property and the proceeds used to buy land for the youth facilities further outside the city

[bailestil]

Its a good move by Derry City alright.
this issue about the brandywell is creeping up as some sort of Political issue in Derry. Support a new stadium is the "in" thing for politicians.

Some of the stuff being banded about is nonsense talk. Building stadium in Fort George, and other out of town sites etc.
Pipe-dreams for a club that only 3-4 years ago that were up shit creek, and john hume had to bail them out.
Now they squeeze in 3,000 for 10 matches and they need a 10,000 seater stadium.
They need a 10,00 seater as much as Derry Gaa need 20,000 in CP!

Fair play to them for getting their own house in relative order... but realistically they'll end up with another stand along the lone moor road and a 5-6k capacity.


It is a bit silly 2 stadiums a total of 50 yards apart if even... but under-resourced dumps.
CP Is starting a new 5,000 seater stand... and at long last we don't have to get soaked when we're watching our pathetic county team!

[snatter]

"It is a bit silly 2 stadiums a total of 50 yards apart but both being under-resourced dumps."

That's the point I was getting at.

Surely now is the time to knock heads together and work out what's best for the city of Derry.
If £X million in grant aid can be found for a new Brandywell, then surely £X + £Y millions could be drawn down for a multisport municipal stadium.
A better facility for both GAA and soccer fans would be the result.

Could the GAA doa landswap with the council as part of the deal and get a new pitch somewhere else?
Surely European and Britsh money would be available given that its a multisport, cross border, happy clappy srt of project.
It might persuade some doubters of the Maze that GAA and soccer can share the one stadium.

[bailestil]

if i remember correctly a recently passed law means football grounds cannot be used for housing.
Therefore it removed pretty much any valve of both stadia.

Again its all pie in the sky stuff.
The gaa wont allow soccer to be played on a GAA Ground and GAA wont be shared with a soccer ground.

So all this talk isn't really going to be feasible for both sides.

if both teams can secure funding then having 2 stadia which can support grass roots  of their respective sports would work out better than 1 stadium which is never used by anyone other than the 2 senior teams.

[dublinfella]

I would think that a joint stadium would be a good move
with the other stadium either being receveloped as a shared youth sports amenity
or sold for housing/commercial property and the proceeds used to buy land for the youth facilities further outside the city

Jesus, we muscling in on this one too? 

Off to the House of Lords with the local club is it?

Its the GAA and GAA alone with specific rules barring other sports. What you are asking is for soccer to let us use their facilities with no quid pro quo.

[bailestil]

I would think that a joint stadium would be a good move
with the other stadium either being receveloped as a shared youth sports amenity
or sold for housing/commercial property and the proceeds used to buy land for the youth facilities further outside the city

Jesus, we muscling in on this one too? 

Off to the House of Lords with the local club is it?

Its the GAA and GAA alone with specific rules barring other sports. What you are asking is for soccer to let us use their facilities with no quid pro quo.

Aye quick bust down the Doors of the brandywell.... I doubt it.

Its a dump anyway... (and it'll be years before its any different) Derry City only think they are a "professional" outfit.
If they took a spin out to owenbeg they'd see what capital investment is...

For a club going for as long as Derry has, 1911 or something in one guise or another their total asset count? Zero.

Derry City a soccer town my arse... a sportingly indifferent town more like it.(Irish sports and teams that is)

[bailestil]

considering how they were treated by our loyal cousins and the crown forces its a miracle they exist at all.

Oh thats right cause the GAA got free reign during this era and were mostly unaffected 

there were more Derry City fans in Paris than at any Derry football league game last year.

There were more Derry City fans in Paris than there was at any Derry City FC league game....

Patronise away, but they are moving forwards while GAA in the county is standing still at best.

Moving forward... hard not too when your just back from thr brink of financial ruin

p.s i Always wish Derry City all the best and have been a regular at the Brandywell in the past... just don't like the "world owes us a living" type attitude floating about with clubs who are simply(and this is really the only problem i have) living above their means.

N.B Admin: this should probably be moved into non-gaa.

[Bogball XV]

considering how they were treated by our loyal cousins and the crown forces its a miracle they exist at all.

there were more Derry City fans in Paris than at any Derry football league game last year. Patronise away, but they are moving forwards while GAA in the county is standing still at best.

Good one Rainman.

Dublinfella, wtf are you talking about this time??  Fair enough talk away about the tallaght stadium, but what exactly do you know about:
1. Derry GAA plans for the future
2. Derry GAA attendances
3. Derry City and Derry City means to the local populace.

I can fill you in on both, but I rather think it's be lost on you - suffice to say, if i were you i'd listen to BaileStil - just one other little point, whilst there is a bitterness amongst most league of ireland fans towards the gaa, that's not something i've noticed in the north, so you can come out with all the vitriol you want, but I doubt that you'd be backed up by Derry City fans.

[dublinfella]

considering how they were treated by our loyal cousins and the crown forces its a miracle they exist at all.

there were more Derry City fans in Paris than at any Derry football league game last year. Patronise away, but they are moving forwards while GAA in the county is standing still at best.

Good one Rainman.

Dublinfella, wtf are you talking about this time??  Fair enough talk away about the tallaght stadium, but what exactly do you know about:
1. Derry GAA plans for the future
2. Derry GAA attendances
3. Derry City and Derry City means to the local populace.

I can fill you in on both, but I rather think it's be lost on you - suffice to say, if i were you i'd listen to BaileStil - just one other little point, whilst there is a bitterness amongst most league of ireland fans towards the gaa, that's not something i've noticed in the north, so you can come out with all the vitriol you want, but I doubt that you'd be backed up by Derry City fans.

I merely pointed out the dangers of mocking a club like Derry City who are progressing in a county where the GAA on the pitch is struggling badly. Lost to NY in hurling.... There arent many counties where an EL or IL side gets bigger gates than the county side in the league.

Vitriol? You must be very sheltered if you think im being vitriolic.

What is this thread actually about? A former GAA blazer is helping build a stadium in a professional capacity? This has what to do with anything?

[bailestil]

I merely pointed out the dangers of mocking a club like Derry City who are progressing in a county where the GAA on the pitch is struggling badly. Lost to NY in hurling.... There arent many counties where an EL or IL side gets bigger gates than the county side in the league.

Vitriol? You must be very sheltered if you think im being vitriolic.

What is this thread actually about? A former GAA blazer is helping build a stadium in a professional capacity? This has what to do with anything?

Have a look back up the thread and see where it all went wrong.

Jesus, we muscling in on this one too?  Roll Eyes

Off to the House of Lords with the local club is it?

Its the GAA and GAA alone with specific rules barring other sports. What you are asking is for soccer to let us use their facilities with no quid pro quo.

This is the end of my comments on this thread anyway.

its going nowhere anywho

[Bogball XV]

I merely pointed out the dangers of mocking a club like Derry City who are progressing in a county where the GAA on the pitch is struggling badly. Lost to NY in hurling.... There arent many counties where an EL or IL side gets bigger gates than the county side in the league.

Lost to NY in hurling, yeah, and are Derry traditionally a hurling county?
Get smaller attendances than Derry City?  How do you work that out?  I know Derry attendances are bad, but they're not less than 3000.  As for Derry City progressing in the county, no, they're not - i personally went to a match back in 1988 (i think), i don't really know many others who've been.  I like to see City do well, but let me assure you, it's absolutely no threat to the complete dominance that gaa has in County Derry (within the nationalist population) - in fact many within the county feel that the reason our county team have such poor support is because the club scene is so strong.  
As I said before, stick to talking about TD, as your knowledge of the Derry gaa scene is laughable (why am I even bothering?).