Municipal stadium should be explored

LOUTH County Council has been urged to run with Stephen Kenny’s idea that the county needs a regional sports stadium capable of hosting major international and national events.

Cllr Mark Dearey, chairman of the Dundalk Municipal District, has backed Kenny’s proposal, saying that the Dundalk FC manager ‘ has put the challenge down around the need for a stadium for the county.’

The Green Party councillor and Oriel Park regular said that he believes the local authority should look at funding a business model which would allow such a stadium be build and sustained. He pointed out that Dundalk had played their successful leg against BATE Borisov in Tallaght Stadium, which is run by Dublin South County Council.

Such a stadium could be shared by Dundalk FC and Drogheda United as well as other sporting codes. Cllr Dearey remarked that such an arrangement is common around Europe where sports clubs share facilities with their neighbours.

‘ The local authority should think seriously about developing this and getting a proper sports stadium for the county.’

He pointed out that while the proposed joint venture between DKIT and the GAA failed to get off the ground, it had shown that a collaborative approach could be adopted through such a partnership.

‘We should at least explore the idea of providing a municipal facility,’ he urged