Thomas Davis v the Government

[tayto]

as i have said before, there are dozens of municipal sports facilities in the 26 that the GAA never had a problem with

... is that supposed to be a point?

yes, why the sudden desire to share other codes facilites without letting them use all but one of ours? why block this specific project on a 'principled' point while ignoring dozens of similar ones? why the sudden desire to proetct the taxpayer when we get more out of the exchequer than all other sports combined?

its childinsh ingratitude.

I'm aware of what you are trying to say, I was asking if you think those points further your argument.

Honestly if that's the best you can do, there really is no point in debating this any further.

[tayto]

about time the minister woke up and sorted this out, he is responsible for this mess afterall.

Minister softens stance on Tallaght Stadium

AN APPARENT softening of attitude by the Minister for Sport on the use of the proposed Tallaght Stadium has raised Dublin GAA hopes that they may yet get access to the ground.

Minister John O'Donoghue had previously taken a very hard-line attitude on the development, only sanctioning funding to complete it if it was to be used as a soccer-only venue, primarily for Shamrock Rovers.

Attitude

A New Year statement by the Sports Minister indicates a distinct shift in attitude and leaves it up to South Dublin Council (SDCC) ultimately to decide if any other sports can use it.

However, the Irish Independent understands that the comments only pave the way for the SDCC to allow juvenile GAA into the venue, which would not necessitate any increase to the pitch size.

"While the stadium is scheduled for completion as a soccer facility, the Minister would have no objections to South Dublin County Council, which will manage the facility, sanctioning its use by other sporting bodies compatible with it remaining available for senior soccer fixtures," the statement says.

O'Donoghue's insistence that the venue is soccer-only caused SDCC councillors to change the initial terms of its planning (of December 2005), which was for a multi-sport municipal facility, a decision which local GAA club Thomas Davis are contesting through the courts by seeking a judicial review.

That is due to be heard in the High Court on March 16 and is holding up the completion of the venue.

Ill-fated

As it stands, the SDCC's plan is to complete a 6,000-seater stadium for soccer, specifically to house Rovers, who started the ill-fated project before building stalled and it needed local government intervention to bail it out.

The Minister continues to argue that increasing the pitch size to accommodate Gaelic games would considerably lessen its seating capacity.

"A pitch larger than that required for soccer cannot easily be accommodated within the present site," O'Donoghue reiterates. However, some will take O'Donoghue's use of the phrase "cannot easily be accommodated" as not ruling it out completely.

And his subsequent comment about having no objections if SDCC sanction its use for other sports as long as it gives priority to soccer, does seem in sharp contrast to his previous stance.

To accommodate senior GAA, the pitch would have to be lengthened and widened to a 140mx85m dimension.

Even if this remains unlikely, O'Donoghue's latest statement leaves the door open for the GAA, at juvenile level at least, to have some access to the new venue if SDCC are agreeable. The SDCC will not make any comment on the venue at present because they are involved in legal proceedings with Thomas Davis.

The completion of the stadium and its use is undoubtedly a hot potato locally ahead of the upcoming General Election.

A group of local clubs - including Thomas Davis, St Jude's and St Mark's - have all lobbied for it to become a municipal multi-sport facility that could also accommodate GAA.

Studying

South Dublin CC and the Minister have both repeatedly said that the Dublin County Board should concentrate instead on developing their own 24-acre site in Rathcoole and the SDCC is currently studying a proposal to solve an access problem to this site.

Cliona Foley

[tayto]

Ii love the way they say the GAA should concentrate on Rathcoole as if we havent been waiting on planning out there for over a decade after buying it.

[bottlethrower7]

of course he changed his attitude. Theres an election this year so he was always going to pass the buck. Charlie O'Connor and Conor Lenihan's jobs depended on him doing so.

[tayto]

So maybe, just maybe, Paranoid conspiracy theories put aside for a couple of minutes. Maybe Thomas Davis looking for a delay might have been a wise move.

[bottlethrower7]

So maybe, just maybe, Paranoid conspiracy theories put aside for a couple of minutes. Maybe Thomas Davis looking for a delay might have been a wise move.

yes, I made the point at the time. They knew only too well what they were doing.

[resdubwhite]

Thats been Davis's plan all along. Drag it out until someone shifts their stance.

Just an addendum. How do the DCB plan to use this ground whilst rovers (anchor tennant) are involved in the EL and play using the same calendar as the DCB (March - Nov).


To me this indicates access to the ground was always a secondary concern for the gang of six.

[tayto]

Arent most eircom league matches played of a friday night. Rovers would have a home match every two weeks or so?  considering it will be floodlit that leaves plenty of scope for use by southside clubs.

[resdubwhite]

yeah but there fixture list is more of a loose arrangement rather than anything concrete when it comes to EL.

matches have been changed with hours notice. I shit you not. I presume rovers will also have number of teams looking to use it also.

there is also the very very distinct possiblity pats will be ground sharing within a couple of years.

[resdubwhite]

so you can imagine the shenanigans.

I thinl Rathcoole is the way to go personally. less hassle for all involved and both sports are catered for.

O'donoughue has already expressed that there will be significant funding for it.

[tayto]

I'd say anchor tennants or not if another fixutre has been arranged in the stadium then it's hard luck, you can't expect the stadium to be kept free on the off chance you might chop and change at the last minute. Surely it's this type of messing that the FAI will be trying to stamp out not they've got control of the league.

Besides Havent Rovers managed to share other clubs grounds up until now without too many of these sorts of problems. I'm not quite sure how a vague logistical problem like that indicates anything about the GAA clubs motives. What other teams do rovers have that need access to a 6k seater stadium? Maybe the odd underage final, there's still plenty of room schedule wise. The DCB mayonly want to hold later championship matches between two southside clubs there, or maybe the odd dublin league match, it's not like they'll need access to it  24-7.

Pats arent even on the radar yet. [another club to cash in it's assets and get free use of a stadium?]

He has said there'd be funding for Rathcoole but the planning is still an issue that is unresolved, that's 12 years and counting, i'm aur eif planning had gone through like it was promised bythe SDCC then the DCB would have developed the site by now and this whole issue wouldnt exist.

[resdubwhite]

No.
Pats are very much on the radar, hence FAI involvement.
Pats major contributor is about to up sticks. Bye bye inchicore.
the thing with tolka is the pitch markings.
Surely there is going to be a big problem with pitch markings in tallaght.
There'd be rovers under twenty one teams. The Rovers IT tallaght among others looking for access to the ground, as well as I presume the ROI youth teams looking to play there also. The seasons clash badly.


Do you know what sort of access the DCB are looking for to the ground? What stage of plannig is rathcoole at?

I thought the DCB wanted to use rathcoole as a centre of excellence and not to be bothered with building a small stadium there.

[tayto]

Rathcoole is at the same stage of planning as it was when it was bought, well aparently a bit of progress has been made in the last couple of months, nevermind planning for a stadium it has taken 12 years to get access to the site sorted. It's a farce, for the minister to say we should 'just' develop it is ignoring the huge problems the DCb have had getting any progress there.

Sorry if i don't just symapthise with Pats, Their benefactor is upping sticks is bad news for their fans but that shouldnt give them higher priority access to a minicipal stadium in Tallaght then Tallaght GAA clubs.

[resdubwhite]

I'm not suggesting they are, but slots in tallaght will be hard to come by.

Build our own, let the soccer boys at it.

[tayto]

i think you're making too much of the fixture pileup, just my opinion.

they can remark lansdowne handy enough - except when the rugby boys have those huge ads in the middle of the pitch.