NATIONAL CAMPUS Sports Minister unveils details of Phase 1 of National Sports Campus

The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Séamus Brennan T.D. today (Monday, 28th April) announced details for the commencement of Phase 1 of the National Sports Campus project on lands at Abbotstown, West Dublin.

Phase 1 of the development will provide the major field sports, Gaelic games, soccer, rugby and hockey, and up to 20 other sports with unrivalled training and medical facilities.

Minister Brennan today presided over the official signing of two key contracts by the National Sports Campus Development Authority to urgently progress the project, the appointment of the Design Team and the Project Management Team.

Following approval by the Government of the phased delivery of a national sporting campus at Abbotstown, a Development Control Plan for the National Sports Campus was prepared.

Minister Brennan outlined details of what would be delivered under Phase One of the Development Control Plan:
ط A National Field Sports Training Centre with pitches and facilities catering for rugby, soccer, gaelic games and hockey;
ط A National Indoor Training Centre that will provide world class facilities for over 20 National Governing Bodies of Sport
ط On site accommodation for sports men and women to allow them make maximum use of the training and support facilities.
ط Sports science and medical facilities;
ط Sixteen seven-a-side synthetic pitches for primary use by clubs in the area and community use
ط And completion of work by end of this year on a new headquarters for the Irish Institute of Sport.

Minister Brennan said an assessment of recent proposals from Athletics Ireland for inclusion as part of Phase 1 of a 200-metre indoor athletics track with spectator facilities is currently being examined by the National Sports Campus Development Authority and proposals will be submitted by the Authority to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism.

Minister Brennan said he had also asked the Campus Development Authority to narrow down the options for the facilities to be included in Phase 2 of the Campus development and to bring proposals to him in the near future for Government consideration.

Minister Brennan said: “Today marks a very significant milestone in turning the vision of having a world-class national sports campus at Abbotstown into a reality. We are now entering another exciting era for sport in Ireland and one that will sow the seeds for enhanced performances and further sporting success at home and abroad. The construction of the Sports Campus will offer our major field sports unrivalled facilities and will lift our training and support systems for our elite athletes onto a level that compares favourably with the best facilities internationally.

The priority now is to make this project happen and to make it happen fast. I have stressed to the Campus Development Authority the major investment the Irish taxpayer is making in this project and of the need to deliver real and tangible results over the next few years.”

Minister Brennan said that already the National Aquatic Centre is forming a cornerstone of the campus project and at the end of last year the Football Association of Ireland relocated its headquarters at Abbotstown. In another clear demonstration that the Sports Campus is progressing, the Irish Institute of Sport will have its headquarters on site by the end of this year.

Minister Brennan was joined at the media briefing by Dan Flinter, Chairman of the National Sports Development Authority, GAA representatives, President Nickey Brennan, Director General Pauric Duffy, Kilkenny hurler Henry Shefflin and Dublin footballer Bryan Cullen; IRFU representatives, Chief Executive Phillip Browne and Irish International Brian O’Driscoll, and FAI representatives, President David Blood and former international goalkeeper Packy Bonnar.

Phase One of the project will utilise 205 acres of the 495-acre Abbotstown site. The estimated cost of this Phase has been originally estimated at €119m, (2004 prices) and the National Sports Campus Development Authority is currently assessing more up to date costings before submitting proposals to Government.

It is envisaged that Phase 1 will be delivered within the next 3 to 4 years. The delivery will be greatly assisted by extensive preparatory work that has taken place in relation to planning matters. Under the Fingal County Development Plan, the County Council was required to undertake a study to determine the appropriate uses of the Abbotstown lands. The study was subsequently approved by Fingal County Council last year and it is the template against which applications for planning permission have already and will continue to be made.

The signing of the contracts with the Project Management Team and the Design Team signals the commencement of Phase 1. FaulknerBrown Architects (Design) and Davis Langdon PKS (Project Management) both have strong international credentials in their respective fields and will be required to begin the process of finalizing the design of the proposed facilities in consultation with the relevant National Governing Bodies of Sport and then to seek planning permission for enabling works and other ancillary works.

As an early step in the delivery of the Sports Campus the preparation of playing pitches will get underway at the earliest opportunity to allow for appropriate bedding in time so that they will come on stream for use with the specialist infrastructure facilities due for completion early in 2012.

In addition to the development of the core facilities at the Campus, a number of additional and ancillary developments are under way to provide accommodation for National Governing Bodies of Sport.  Already the NSCDA has refurbished the former State Laboratory building to provide a new headquarters for the FAI, which was officially opened in November last year. Work on the refurbishment of the former Central Meat control Laboratory building to turn it into the new headquarters of the Irish Institute of Sport will be completed before the end of this year. Other existing buildings on site, including Abbotstown House itself which is a listed building, will be refurbished to provide accommodation for the National Governing Bodies of Sport currently located in Sport HQ at Park West.

Minister Brennan said that, in addition, the National Development Plan also provides another €30m for development of the Second Phase of the Campus and he has asked the NSCDA to commence their assessment and analysis of what is required for the next step in this exciting national sports initiative.

Ends

Further information: Tom Rowley, Press Advisor   087 8124723