Abandon plan for stadium says Allen

Former Minister for Sport Bernard Allen TD (FG) told an Oireachtas committee yesterday that any plans for a government-funded national stadium were now redundant and unnecessary.

Speaking at a presentation of the FAI's proposed new Arena in Dublin to a meeting of the Joint Committee For Tourism, Sport and Recreation at Kildare House in Dublin, Allen said that because of the progress at Croke Park and the development plans from both the FAI and the IRFU there was no longer any need for a publicly-funded national stadium.

"The whole question of a national stadium is now redundant. The GAA are going ahead and the FAI are going ahead. The feasibility group looking at the national stadium are now redundant," he said.

FAI chief executive Bernard O'Byrne said that the FAI would be having discussions with the organisers of the LUAS transport system to ascertain if they can persuade them to extend their light rail network past the current proposed terminus at Cookstown in Dublin.

The move is to help facilitate access and egress to the proposed stadium, which the FAI are in the process of developing in the City West business park close to the M50 in west Dublin. The extension would involve a further 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 miles of track.

The FAI recently met with around 1,000 residents at the site to discuss various issues surrounding the development of the 45,000-seat facility, which will be used for concerts and conventions as well as sporting events. Traffic, litter and disturbance were the prime concerns voiced in "robust terms" to O'Byrne.

The FAI have 50 acres in City West which is subject to planning permission for a £65 million stadium and an adjacent £16 million National Coaching and Training Centre, where football coaching director Brian Kerr and his staff will be based full time.

A meeting was held with Minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy last week who, according to O'Byrne, made very positive noises with regard to funding.

"He indicated that he would be very supportive. He said it was a great idea and that he would come to a more substantive meeting with us in a positive state of mind," O'Byrne told the committee.

In responding to a question over the continued North-South division in Irish soccer O'Byrne told the committee that the FAI would have no problem sitting down with the Irish Football Association (IFA), who govern the sport in Northern Ireland, to discuss the issue of an all-Ireland league.

O'Byrne stated that a Euro Cup competition has already been developed between the two associations involving the four European qualifying teams from both jurisdictions.

Regarding any discussions between the FAI and other sports organisations O'Byrne said that they did have meetings with the IRFU but that the parameters governing his organisation and the rugby body were too diverse and fundamentally different to bring the organisations any closer together on such a project.

The FAI also pointed out that rugby could be played on the arena pitch if required but that rugby matches were not built into the plans.

Because of the controversial policy operated by the GAA which effectively bans soccer in Croke Park, no discussions were held between the FAI and the GAA on the matter.

"We have an excellent ongoing relationship with the GAA but we never held discussions with them about playing soccer in Croke Park," answered O'Byrne. "We see no good in embarrassing people. Their policy regarding this issue has been in the public arena for some time and we don't wish any embarrassment to come from holding discussions on that subject," said O'Byrne.