by Marie Hobbins and John O’Shaughnessy
THE Football Association of Ireland, under the stewardship of CEO John Delaney, has expressed a willingness to negotiate a deal to secure the Markets Field, after the Irish Greyhound Board vacate the property in 2010.
It could signal the return of League of Ireland football to the venue, with ‘homeless’ Limerick FC, in an agreement with the FAI, reclaiming it as their home.
Several city councillors are keeping a watchful eye on developments, mindful, in the words of Kieran O’Hanlon, that they sold it for a song to Bord na gCon, a few years ago.
Mr Delaney, who was a regular at greyhound meetings at the Markets Field with his father Joe Delaney, is determined that Limerick FC should become a force in Irish football and sees the Markets Field as another phase in their development.
The then Limerick United vacated the Markets Field in 1984, to move to Hogan Park, Rathbane. They are now tenants of the Limerick District Management Committee, at Jackman Park.
It is understood that Mr Delaney, together with Limerick FC owner Jack McCarthy, has entered into talks with Bord na gCon about a possible purchase.
Work on the new greyhound stadium at Greenpark is expected to get underway in March, but whether it will be affected by the downturn in the economy, is a matter of conjecture. Limerick has been battling for well over a decade to acquire a new stadium. When asked if there was a possibility that commencement work at Greenpark might now be delayed, a spokesperson for the board asked that the request for information be put in writing.
The most recent Bord n gCon report showed that losses of 245,000 euro were sustained at the Markets Field in 2007.
Residents in the Garryowen area are also anxious to have the future of the Markets Field protected and secured, rather than it being sold for development purposes. Said Clr O’Hanlon:
“Local people here would like to have a community centre and there’s interest in developing further educational facilities in there by the VEC.
“We must have a meeting on this and produce some planning for a civic amenity there. We could find the money from various sources – there’s Lottery money, council funding and a private developer, as well as the FAI”.
