Dublin county board secretary John Costello has outlined plans to raise EUR14 million to finance the development of a 25-acre site in Rathcoole as a Centre of Excellence for its county teams. The ambitious project was granted planning permission in recent days, and while no date has yet been set for work to begin, Costello has been able to confirm that the new facility will provide a state-of-the-art training base for all Dublin football and hurling squads. It is also envisaged that games will be played at the venue, but a maximum 1,500 capacity means it will not be able to cater for major championship matches. "There will be no stadium," he said. "We are not trying to replicate the stadium we already have at Parnell Park on the northside of the city. Sure, there will be low-key games like school matches where maybe a couple of hundred people can be facilitated, but nothing of significance." He continued: "Basically, we haven't come up with a plan with regards funding just yet. We didn't expect this to come through until the New Year and then there is the objections process through An Bord Pleanala. We are yet to even receive written confirmation. "Whether the project is financially viable still needs to be addressed. In total, it will cost EUR14 million, which is a mammoth undertaking for any county board. We shall be putting together a committee to decide whether we have to go about this in stages or one block." Tweet

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