Shelbourne FC’s €1.5m repurchase of Tolka Park to go to vote next Monday

Shelbourne FC’s €1.5 million repurchase of Tolka Park from Dublin City Council will be voted on by councillors next Monday.

The Drumcondra club, currently managed by Damien Duff, will pay €1 million in three instalments up to December 2026 to secure a 250-year lease that requires an additional annual rent of €100.

DCC and Shels have agreed to put the other €500,000 into five years of salary for two “football in the community” officers. Both employees would be paid €50,000 a year and one must be “dedicated” to women’s and girl’s football.

As part of the deal, Shels agree to fund two phases of works on Tolka Park, starting with the Drumcondra and Ballybough stands before upgrading the north and south stands, in particular repairs to the roof. Renovations are to be completed by December 2026.

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Shels, having come under the control of Premier Sports owner Mickey O’Rourke last year, can also host six “non-sporting events” a year at the stadium.

If the councillors vote through the lease agreement, it would end a long-running saga since the club sold the ground to property developer Ossie Kilkenny in 2005.

[ Bohemians call for quick allocation of Dalymount funds after council grants planning permission ]

After DCC purchased Dalymount Park off a debt-riddled Bohemians for €3.8 million in 2015, the FAI and both northside Dublin clubs agreed to “consolidate two outdated stadiums into one modern municipal stadium” at Dalymount.

However, in 2022 the Shelbourne board cut ties with the project after a fan-led protest to “Save Tolka Park”. DCC subsequently refused to fund the redevelopment of two soccer stadiums on the northside of the city.

Earlier this week, Dalymount received planning permission to demolish and rebuild an 8,034 capacity venue in Phibsboro. Bohs have asked the Government to “rapidly allocate funding” via its large scale infrastructure purse, to avoid costs soaring over €50 million. The fund has already given DCC a €918,750 grant towards the cost of preparing Dalymount for the tender stage.

“A new round of the LSSIF will open for applications in the first half of 2024, with the terms and conditions to be confirmed in due course,” said Thomas Byrne, the Minister of State at the Department of Sport. “Any future application for funding under [the Large Scale fund] towards construction work at Dalymount will be considered on its own merits in line with the assessment criteria for the new call for proposals.”

Shels will require private funding to fix up a dilapidated Tolka Park.

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