Eircom Park was the name of a proposed association football stadium in Saggart, Dublin, intended to be the home of the Republic of Ireland national football team.[1] The planned 45,000-seater stadium was to be named after national team sponsors Eircom.[2] Plans for Eircom Park were first announced in January 1999, when the Republic of Ireland were playing home games at Lansdowne Road, owned by the IRFU at the time.[3] The plans were criticised for being unrealistic, not least the FAI's intention to host 57 non-sporting events at the stadium each year.[4]
By January 2001, the projected costs of the project had "double[d]",[5] and all plans for Eircom Park were subsequently abandoned. The FAI instead gave its support to the government-backed Stadium Ireland project. However, as plans for Stadium Ireland fell through by September 2002, it was instead decided to redevelop Lansdowne Road into the Aviva Stadium, which opened in 2010.[6]
References
edit- ^ "RTÉ Sport: FAI criticised for eircom Park proposals". rte.ie. 19 January 2010. Archived from the original on 21 January 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
- ^ Hogan, Vincent (10 March 2001). "'We have achieved what we set out to do'". Independent.ie. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- ^ McDermott, Gerry (10 March 2001). "The rise and fall of FAI's Eircom Park". Independent.ie. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- ^ McDonnell, Daniel (6 November 2007). "Bureaucratic wrangling and inherent politicking scupper plans and leave FAI blazers with the home they deserve - Soccer, Sport". Independent.ie. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
- ^ "Soccer: Eircom Park costs double". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. 22 January 2001. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ^ McKittrick, David (12 September 2002). "Irish cabinet pulls plug on 'Bertie Bowl'". The Independent. London. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
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