County Board meeting hears wait is over for work to commence on Louth grounds

A couple of dates were part of the commentary on the lead up to last Wednesday night’s meeting, at which the long-awaited start-up for work on the new Louth county stadium was announced.

Both 2022 and 2024 were earmarked as dates for a possible opening - in hindsight, there was never a real chance of either being met.

At a specially-convened County Board meeting last week, club delegates heard the news they’d been waiting for so0me time, that a financial plan had been put in place to cover the projected cost of €23m, and that work on the first of two phases could commence before the end of this year.

The project had its beginning in 2018 with the purchase of land along Dundalk’s inner-relief road. A committee that had been set up, with the man instrumental in choosing it – County Board treasurer, Aidan Berrills – instructed to identify people with no County Board connection, other than himself.

Named were Frank Lynch, Peter Fitzpatrick, Danny Culligan, Dermot Agnew and David Rogers, with Berrills acting as chair. The first sod was turned by the then-GAA President, John Horan, in 2019, and it was said then that football would be played on the new pitch by 2022. Whatever slim chance there was of this happening, the onset of Covid, in March 2020, well and truly scuppered it.

The six-strong committee oversaw the initial preparation of the site and work on the surrounding area. But in late 2022 they found their services were no longer required, much to the disgruntlement of three of its members, Lynch, Culligan and Agnew.

They felt that given their experience in the world of finance and construction, they had much more to offer, and were willing to continue.

Headed by Peter Fitzpatrick – who had been elected Co Board chairman in late 2019 – a new committee, comprised mostly of Board officers, took over, and for the following year were engaged mostly in raising finance.

They were encouraged by the announcement that an application for a grant of €14.8 million from the IIP – a scheme to which foreigners could apply for Irish citizenship at the cost of €400,000 per person – had been successful.

From early last year it was being said the 2024 county final would be played on the new pitch. However, in meetings with Croke Park officials – whose backing would be required to get the project not only over the line but up and running – the Louth contingent began to come under pressure.

Croke Park wasn’t happy with the financial plan in place. A figure of €12m was first mentioned as the projected cost, but early on last year this rose to €19m, then to €29m, before coming back to €25m. After that a figure of €18m was said to have been settled upon.

Croke Park remained sceptical over the plan to raise the money, however, and from early last year was telling Louth not to go ahead. The warning was eventually heeded, and it was then that Croke Park took over the running of the project.

A nine-strong committee was set up, headed by Horan, and including three other Croke Park officials and five County Board nominees.

It must be said that those who made those 2022 and 2024 predictions were firm in their belief they would prove accurate. It’s recognised now that the bar had been raised too high on both occasions and was never likely to be cleared.

At €23m, the work is not going to come cheap – Louth will have to stump up in the region of €5.5m. Clubs are to be asked to make a contribution – more than they’ve been levied for the past 15 years to complete work on the Darver project.

That was set at €2,400 per year for most clubs in 2010, and when the final total is done next March, it will show the amount contributed to be in the region of €1.4m.

So, five years after the first sod was turned and nine months since the new committee was set up, the initial steps in making a long-held dream come true are about to be taken.

Delegates were understandably in a buoyant mood as they listened to County Board chairman, Seán McClean, outline what has been achieved and what will be expected from their clubs.