No 'animosity' as Cuala deal with Blackrock RFC collapses

It had the potential to be a historically groundbreaking deal – in more ways than one – with rugby and GAA players of all ages sharing pitches and other club facilities in perfect harmony in the most prosperous suburb of south county Dublin.

Instead, all negotiations between Blackrock College RFC, one of the most famous rugby clubs in Ireland, and Cuala GAA club in the same part of south county Dublin have now ended.

Their bold, ambitious plan was to enter a ground-sharing agreement whereby Cuala GAA would purchase a section of the Blackrock grounds, and with that shift their headquarters from Dalkey up Dublin’s south east coast to Stradbrook Road. After over a year of long and drawn-out negotiations, both clubs have now decided to progress independently and on their own terms.

A memorandum of understanding for a ground purchase/sharing arrangement was first signed between the two clubs back in November 2013, valued at around €2.5 million at the time, which would in turn help erase Blackrock rugby club’s some €1.1 million debt, which still remains.

The proposed deal would have seen Cuala take ownership of and redevelop the bottom pitches at Stradbrook into an all-weather surface. Floodlights would also be installed and hurling, Gaelic football, camogie and rugby would all utilise the new multi-sports facility in the popular south Dublin suburb.

However, several obstacles began to appear, including the understanding that the initial €2.5 million deal was to include partial funding from the GAA. It subsequently emerged that the GAA was not in a position to provide any funding to Cuala to assist in the purchase and subsequent development, at least not until the project was up and running.

"We certainly have not fallen out with Blackrock over this," Cuala club secretary Declan Murray told The Irish Times. "But this had become a highly complex deal, close to impossible to write down from a legal point of view, and with that the process was dragging on far too long."

Approval from GAA

Part of those legal obstacles included getting approval from the GAA to allow the rugby club use any land that would be now be officially owned by Cuala. Rule 5 of the Official Guide (formerly Rule 42) still forbids GAA-owned grounds to be used for any sports outside of those controlled by the Association. Central Council can allow permission for exceptional circumstances (such as Croke Park) but did not appear so willing when it came to sharing club grounds.

“Both clubs certainly set out with the best intentions, and felt it could be done,” said Murray. “But we’ve also had to recognise the fact we were both facing an increasing number of difficulties in trying to make the deal work. ”

There is a sense of loss on both sides: Cuala had reported that donations and pledges from their 2,000-plus members had already reached €1.1 million towards the proposed costs of the deal, ranging from €25 to one of €100,000. A statement has now been issued to all club members ensuring them that they would be refunded “as previously agreed” early in the New Year if they required.

Improving facilities

“We’ve written to all our members about that,” explained Murray, “but we’d also be hopeful that some of that money will be left there for other projects. We are still intent on improving our facilities, in association with Dún Laoghaire/ Rathdown County Council. But we all know there is a shortage of potential development land in south county Dublin.”

Cuala currently utilise a number of grounds, including their traditional home at Hyde Park in Dalkey, as well as facilities in Thomastown and Shankill, all of which are leased from Dún Laoghaire/ Rathdown County Council.

Blackrock College RFC president Seamus Taaffe, also speaking to The Irish Times, likewise pointed to the small legal print of the deal as being the ultimate stumbling block.

“We’d certainly be very sorry the deal didn’t go ahead. It came down to a number of factors, mostly the complexity of contracts, and logistics, but it’s been entirely mutual, a lot of groundwork has been done, and it has always been entirely cordial,” said Taaffe, who also confirmed that the club’s debt of €1.1 million remains.

“But circumstances have also moved on, in terms of our playing population. Our underage and minis teams have grown, our senior team is improving, under a new coach, Emmet Farrell, and we’ve already built a new gym. So I’d like to think our club is on a roll again, certainly compared to this time last year.

“Still, it is a pity, because personally I feel the rugby-only model is dead. And we will continue to look at other options, but we would still love to convert our lower two pitches. We are still constrained by finances, although we have looked at other models. We also have a tract of land that is zoned for commercial purposes so that does present other possibilities.”

However, Blackrock may have had some difficulty in agreeing to only being allowed to use the Cuala-owned pitches when they were available outside of GAA needs.

“We certainly part on very amicable terms, without any animosity whatsoever,” noted Murray. “To be fair to Blackrock, their numbers and membership are now also increasing, and they might struggle to cope without official access to all of their pitches all of the time.”