Image: Basketball Ireland
Basketball Ireland has been notified by the South Dublin County Council of their decision to grant planning permission for the €38m redevelopment of the National Basketball Arena.
‘Basketball Ireland’ stated that the project will see the multisport and multiuse arena double its capacity to 3,272 with works expected to take 18 months to complete.
Dublin (Ireland)-based the Basketball Ireland is the national governing body for the sport in the island of Ireland. Basketball Ireland is responsible for the promotion and administration of basketball throughout Ireland and for international participation.
Tallaght (Ireland)-based the South Dublin County Council is the local authority of the County of South Dublin, Ireland. It is one of the three local authorities created by the Local Government Act 1993 to succeed the former Dublin County Council.
The National Basketball Arena, also known as the Tallaght Arena, is an indoor sporting arena located in Tymon Park, Tallaght, South Dublin (Ireland) adjacent to the M50 motorway. The capacity of the arena stands at 2,500 and it opened in January 1993.
Image: Basketball Ireland
‘Basketball Ireland’ further stated that the 8,000 square meter facility will have space for four basketball courts, will house a gym, café, corporate facilities, and office space for the Basketball Ireland staff. The Arena will be fully accessible and inclusive and has the backing of a number of sporting bodies, including Volleyball Ireland (the governing body for volleyball in Ireland), Badminton Ireland (the governing body for badminton in Ireland and Northern Ireland) and Irish Squash (the national governing body for the sport of squash in Ireland), who all wish to use it.
Remarked John Feehan, Basketball Ireland head honcho, “This is excellent news and a major step forward in bringing the new National Basketball Arena to fruition. The Arena will be transformative for the Irish indoor sport providing state-of-the-art facilities that will be on a par with our European counterparts. We haven’t finalized when the Arena redevelopment will commence with financing a key element and we remain hopeful of Government support for the project through the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF). We expect news on whether we’ve been successful with our LSSIF application in the coming weeks and that will help inform our next steps.”
The Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) is a Government program in Ireland that supports the development of major sports and recreational facilities.
Pointed out Professor Seamas Donnelly, Basketball Ireland Chairperson, “This is an important milestone for basketball in Ireland. Having a new Arena is key part of our five-year strategic plan and is essential to help maintain the growth of the sport. Our registered playing population increased 21.5 percent last year alone and revenue generated from the Arena will filter down to every area of the game. Overall, this is also a huge boost for the Irish indoor sport, the new Arena will provide a best-in-class amenity which is crucial as we all continue to strive for excellence.”
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