The prospect of Dublin finally getting a national sports stadium moved a step closer yesterday when the Taoiseach gave Government backing for a £281 million facility which will combine an 80,000 seat arena with a 15,000 capacity indoor arena.
The lavish plans for the development make impressive reading but are also certain to generate very serious debate as to whether State funding of up to £100 million should be made available for a stadium which may only host six or seven sell-out events a year. Although many of these concerns relate to funding for health services, education and social welfare, there will be a broad welcome for the Government's proposals which will see a state-of-the-art stadium available to all sports in Ireland, and which will bring the Republic into line with most of our European neighbours.
In purely sporting terms, there is no doubt that Dublin does not require the scale of stadium development now being proposed by the Government, the GAA and the FAI. With Croke Park almost half-way towards its remarkable transformation into an 80,000 capacity stadium that will match anything in Europe and the FAI committed to the development of its own 45,000 all-seater arena with a retractable roof and moveable pitch on the outskirts of the city, it now seems possible that a city with virtually no modern facilities five years ago could have three new multimillion pound stadia in the next five years.
While the FAI has been quick to question the economic viability of the proposed new National Stadium and reaffirm its intention to develop its £65 million facility, the football association could find itself between a rock and a hard place in forging ahead with its own plans while assisting the Government in attracting international events such as a European Champions League final to Stadium Ireland.
Although the Taoiseach was at pains yesterday to emphasise that the stadium proposal should not be seen as a threat but rather an opportunity for all sporting organisations, there is no doubt that he envisages international soccer and rugby being played at the new stadium. The FAI might be better advised to adopt the IRFU's stance by accepting the largesse available from the Government and modifying some of its own ambitious plans. There will be a bitter reaction from the public if the Republic of Ireland soccer team finds itself playing a series of high profile World Cup games in a stadium with a capacity of 45,000 while almost twice as many supporters could be accommodated a few miles away. Does the FAI really want to invest huge amounts of money desperately needed for schoolboy and youth football, in a stadium when the Government and the taxpayer are willing to fund a new, still more lavish facility?
The feast or famine approach to sports infrastructure in the Republic is no substitute for detailed, centralised planning. A step in the right direction was taken by the Government yesterday.