The new North Stand at Tallaght Stadium was officially opened last night before the SSE Airtricity League of Ireland clash between Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians.
The ground now has a capacity of just over 10,500. It is a model for how a community stadium can be brought to life.
Shamrock Rovers is the anchor tenant, and last night, it was confirmed that the FAI has signed a new five-year commitment to bringing games, including international teams, to the stadium as well.
It has an adjacent all-weather pitch for extending the use to the community of local clubs and also has the capacity now to host concerts with an increased capacity of 20,000.
The stadium is a true partnership between sport and local government, with the national Government providing funding to make it happen.
Last night, the Minister for Housing and Local Government, South Dublin County Council CEO Colm Ward, local councillors, Ciaran Medlar, the Chair, and John Martin, the CEO of Shamrock Rovers, were present.
All paid tribute to the fact that this was not an overnight build but had grown consistently, one stand at a time, with both eyes on the project’s long-term sustainability.
They did likewise to Nicola Coffey, who has overseen the stadium’s transition while remaining open as a domestic and Category 4 European football venue throughout.
There was a palpable buzz about it now representing the best of the local community but also being a venue of national significance.
It is hoped that the National Basketball Arena at the other end of Tallaght will join it in the years to come as an example of how collaboration works best.
Last night’s game played out against the backdrop of LED boards for sponsors and club initiatives, which gave the impression that this was as good as any mid-tier stadium experience in Europe.
That is the aim of building it up over time. It is now head and shoulders ahead of any other League of Ireland ground but that too will change with smart planning, cooperation between clubs, councils and communities.
The blueprint is there now in concrete and all the trimmings.
In time, the next stage will be to bring in a stadium naming rights sponsor, and then onto the next stage of packing it out every week and stretching to add in the corners, additional tiers and whatever else might be there in the mind’s eye of club and council officials today, just as they were in their predecessors 20 years ago.
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