New Stadium

With preseason closing in, I was just wondering if the new pitch has been completed. I haven't heard anything or been around the sportsgrounds this summer. As far as I recall it was due to be done during the offseason as the first phase of the new stadium.

I thought the same but it's being done next summer. They have to wait for all the funding to be in place before doing anything like that

So does that mean an already long term redevelopment is 1 year behind schedule straight away? Or maybe the pitch and the start of building the new training facility can both be completed at the same time.

MulMan wrote: So does that mean an already long term redevelopment is 1 year behind schedule straight away?

Yes and no, AFAIK when the branch announced the plans they gave a timescale of works from whenever the first sod was turned and the press ran with dates assuming work starting as soon as the season was over. As was pointed out earlier in the thread, nothing starts without all funding being in place.

MulMan wrote: Or maybe the pitch and the start of building the new training facility can both be completed at the same time.

No, pitch has to happen first or they'd have nowhere to train.

Ah ya makes sense, pity as it means that we're now looking at 2024 for the earliest finish, on the 2nd part I was thinking if the pitch was done in the off season it would be complete for the new season and an alternative venue could be used for preseason, maybe Wegians pitch or Corinthians.

www.the42.ie/grants-fai-rugby-lssif-4960741-Jan2020/

So 10m of the total cost of 30m is to be provided by the government.
Anyone know if this what we asked for?
Not sure where the other 20m is meant to come from, debt? IRFU?

Thoughts?

That €10m being matched apparently: www.connachtrugby.ie/state-investment-of...formational-project/

The Government has today announced a total of €20m to Connacht Rugby’s Sportsground redevelopment project. The €10m allocated under the Large Scale Sports Infrastructure (LSSIF) has been matched with a further €10m commitment, as announced by Government Chief Whip Sean Kyne T.D.

That's fantastic news. Can development start this summer?

“Before the establishment of the LSSIF, Government funding for large sports projects was decided on an ad-hoc basis,” said Minister Shane Ross. “The fund provides a robust and transparent mechanism for the allocation of funding to develop the best high quality sports facilities across all regions.”

... and then a couple of hours later, they announce another ten million from a separate mysterious fund ...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about the twenty million (looking at the list of projects, the Sportsground funding was much lower than a lot of the others porportionally), but these lads don't half know how to utterly contradict themselves.

Yep, any one got a link to a possible time line of the development?

Leo and Sean Kyne delivering for Connacht Rugby. A great day.

This D4 journo forgot to mention the RDS getting 10 million.

www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/other-spo...ng-jackpot-1.4137528

I find myself more and more disappointed with some of the guff the Times chooses to publish these days. How insanely patronising.

creaven wrote: This D4 journo forgot to mention the RDS getting 10 million.

www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/other-spo...ng-jackpot-1.4137528

He's originally from Belfast, but yes, agree 100% with the blue-eyed imbalance.

Anyone have any in depth knowledge about the funding recently promised by the government?
Is it in the Connacht coffers now, or just promised?
What I’m getting at is the impending recessionary doom and how that may effect this funding going forward.

IRFU will have lost a considerable amount of money relative to budget so far, and future income streams (attendances and social distancing) will be under threat also.

I'd imagine all major development work must be back under the spotlight.

That cannot be good news unfortunately.