Keeping the dream of an FAI stadium barely alive

`As a stadium architect", Rod Sheard told journalist and author Simon Inglis a year or so ago, "my chief role is to build dreams, and so the first step is to build the dream in the mind of the client.

"So many things can go wrong when it comes to planning a new stadium . . . So unless the dream is clearly embedded in the mind of the client, the stadium will probably never become a reality." Rod knows his stuff. His firm, HOK+LOBB, is the leading stadium design company in the world and either it, or one of its two constituent parts before their merger, has been a key player in many of the greatest sports venues built over the past couple of decades. They were involved in Croke Park, had a big hand in Sydney's Olympic stadium and contributed to the extravagant and now-shelved plans for the new Wembley.

As it happens, they haven't had anything to do with Eircom Park, so Rod has probably never talked to the Football Association of Ireland's chief executive, Bernard O'Byrne, about the project, which had another bumpy ride last week. If he had, you could be sure of one thing - he'd be impressed by the way somebody had built Bernard's dream.

It's just over two years now since O'Byrne launched Eircom Park. A 45,000-seat stadium based on a design used in Arnhem and soon to be copied in Coventry, the FAI's new home was to have a retractable roof, removable pitch and easily varied seating arrangements. "Multi-functionality" was the key word, profitability was pretty much guaranteed and this autumn was confidently pencilled in as the time it would open for business.

Sadly, the reality has been different, with the planning process dragging on and proving much more expensive than expected. The association's money has more or less run out and the business of its board of directors has been dominated for the past year by recriminations over whether the scheme is anything more than a pipedream.

The fact the association's treasurer, Brendan Menton, has been the chief critic of the project has not helped O'Byrne's cause. The two recently became embroiled in a public spat when Menton announced he would be sounding out the Government on incentives to scrap Eircom Park and opt for a tenancy at the still-to-be-designed Stadium Ireland. Menton's move was prompted by the presentation to the FAI's board of a new business plan for the scheme. Originally to cost £84 million, the document unveiled three weeks ago at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin revealed the current best estimate is roughly £130 million, of which £108 million will be spent on construction.

Two years ago the project was to be financed through advance ticket sales and sponsorships such as the £11 million deal with Eircom for the naming rights. Despite a rise in the anticipated revenue, the level of borrowing required has gone from zero to £56 million. After the meeting, the figures were hailed as vindication by O'Byrne's critics, while he insisted that, far from being a shock, the numbers were "eminently manageable".

Not everybody is as convinced, with Menton still dismissing as "highly optimistic" the estimates of revenue the stadium would generate.

Subsequently, both men conceded they had felt in a weak position when they met representatives of Davy Hickey, the owners of the Citywest campus where the stadium is to be located, and the only outside party to express interest in funding its completion.

Originally Eircom Park was to have fed profits back into football from day one, with the FAI distributing the funds to every level of the game. If it is built on the terms offered by Davy Hickey, though, the regional associations, National League clubs, schoolboy organisations and other bodies in the national organisation will have to wait two decades for Davy Hickey to recoup the bulk of its investment, and another three for the company to be paid off. Few are convinced there will be much in it for them during the initial 20-year period.

In the meantime, the association is waiting to be called before An Bord Pleanala for what will almost certainly be a difficult oral hearing. And during the wait the option of a switch to Abbotstown, where it is understood funds raised from advance sales and corporate boxes would be the association's to keep from day one (although naming rights and some other sponsorships would be lost), appears to be winning over some new supporters.

O'Byrne, though, remains as bullish as ever, remarking only last week that, while it is wise to compare the various "crocks of gold" on offer, he remains "very confident that . . . we will be building Eircom Park". Indeed, after the revised business plan was revealed, he still felt able to claim the project was "stronger than ever".

Given the difficulties, the fact the project is still moving slowly forward is something of a tribute to his single-minded determination. But to claim it is stronger than ever? If he were one of Rod Sheard's clients, the Australian would surely reckon O'Byrne's dream was a job well done.