So............ what are people's opinions on this? :) It looks great!

link

CroiGorm (Dublin) - Posts: 1547 - 05/04/2016 09:16:38    1841895

Moaning about Dublin to commence in 3.....2......1........

RoyalBadger (Meath) - Posts: 571 - 05/04/2016 09:59:03    1841920

CroiGorm.......oh why oh why did you start this fire???

Every culchie will be on complaining in this order:

Firstly they will complain they heard from a reliable source (someone big in their county board as usual) that its been built only for the Dubs)

Secondly why waste all this money on Dublin in general when there are pot holes to be filled around the country!!

GroiCorm it is incumbent on you to waste the next two weeks answering all these moans as you started this thread.

witnof (Dublin) - Posts: 1604 - 05/04/2016 10:06:08    1841922

Very impressive alright.

Dubsfan28 (Dublin) - Posts: 2509 - 05/04/2016 10:11:23    1841929

Could someone post a picture so that us poor sods down here in the west could see what real facilities look like. It would help to feed our envy.

neverright (Roscommon) - Posts: 1648 - 05/04/2016 10:15:04    1841931

Send us down 1 of those pitches we are training on car parks and swamps what chance have we.
Or just send us down money to sort us out.:-)
All joking aside bad timing to be officially opened.

OhtobeARossie (Roscommon) - Posts: 1764 - 05/04/2016 10:22:07    1841935

You'll inevitably get people moaning about the money being spent on a facility in Dublin but if the GAA being out there means a few quid extra coming in the way of grants further down the line then it'll be worth it.

You can argue for or against having all sporting HQ's and high performance units (with the exception of rowing and rugby) based in the one place. There's a bit of politics involved here as well, the GAA is keeping onside with the sports council and getting behind the Abbotstown project.

It's a great setup out there anyways, the support facilities for athletes are top quality so it makes sense for the GAA to be involved in it in some capacity.

if_in_doubt (Kildare) - Posts: 3685 - 05/04/2016 10:24:33    1841940

We must be part of one of the most unequal organisations in the world.

Dublin with numerous clubs with bigger populations than most counties, with GDA's in virtually every club, with state of the art facilities in many of these clubs, with the biggest sponsorship deals in the GAA are handed this incredible development in Abbotstown to further stretch the gaps between them and the rest.

Only recently Offaly hurlers had to go outside the county for a training pitch, Laois football manager quoted this year as having no pitch in the county to train on. I doubt the situation is any better in Longford, Leitrim, Roscommon and many other counties while Dublin have an embarrassment of riches.

Its all a farce. Football is dead in Leinster in every county except Dublin and maybe Kildare.

SmellyBadger (Limerick) - Posts: 32 - 05/04/2016 10:35:12    1841953

I drove past the site many times over the last few years and always presumed it was solely for the FAI.I am quite satisfied that the GAA have a large stake in it.Good location too ; just off the M50.Sounds like that is the end of our Rathcoole venture? I hope we are still trying to source a good 25,000 stadium like we tried to get at the Spawell.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 05/04/2016 10:38:44    1841954

The bottom line for Dublin is we need proper training facilities - I still think Dublin should press ahead with its own project. But from the following quote GAA seem to be encouraging Dublin not to go that road. "In the next five or 10 years I wouldn't see Rathcoole being developed. The resources of the Association and of Dublin should go into Abbotstown. That would meet most of Dublin's needs. Rathcoole will have to wait, the money isn't there to develop both."

Facilities in the capitol for training are very poor and anything built with public money has to be shared (rightly so) . Which is why I believe Dublin should press ahead either with some University joint-venture.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4895 - 05/04/2016 10:41:28    1841956

New €12m facility on National Sports Campus is available for all clubs and counties to use, insists Croker's top official

"All Parades are inclusive and we welcome all those from the other community" insists OO Grand Master
"We welcome more men to our weekly meetings" insists Cara Pet Moon-Cher, radical feminist movement spokesperson.
"Come on up here to the front of the bus Rosa pet" insists pillowcase clad driver

;-)

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 05/04/2016 10:49:55    1841963

Your more than welcome down to Abbotstown Offside.What's ours is yours ; we are all part of the GAA family (:

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 05/04/2016 11:28:02    1841988

Look I'm not having a go at Dublin,but in reality this will be of benefit to Dublin surely? I know anyone can use it,but not too many counties will on a regular basis.

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 05/04/2016 11:37:32    1842000

Look I'm not having a go at Dublin,but in reality this will be of benefit to Dublin surely? I know anyone can use it,but not too many counties will on a regular basis.

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts:2109 - 05/04/2016 11:37:32

Sure Meath will get great use out of it. It's closer to Meath than it is some parts of Dublin :)

CroiGorm (Dublin) - Posts: 1547 - 05/04/2016 11:47:14    1842007

Odd how no one complains that Waterford have the easiest access to the National Hurling and Camogie Development Centre.

RoyalBadger (Meath) - Posts: 571 - 05/04/2016 11:53:21    1842016

Croigorm

Doubt if the county team would use it much,they would all have to meet in Navan from various parts of Meath then head up.It would be hassle.But again I am having a go at Duffy really by saying "anyone can use it" I mean seriously?? Ya Donegal will hop on bus and head down to Dublin every weekend :)

ziggy320001 (Meath) - Posts: 2432 - 05/04/2016 12:00:44    1842022

Cheers cue - think it would be a bit too much of a drive for the lads though for a club training session of a Thursday evening. Jaysus, it's hard enough getting them to travel a couple of miles.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 05/04/2016 12:10:55    1842032

"This is the National Sports Campus, we didn't determine where that would be. The Government decided it would be here. As the premier sporting organisation in the country, we had to be here, but we didn't decide the site.

"If the Government had decided to put this in Athlone or Cavan or Monaghan or Kerry we'd have been there, because we have to be. We are the major national sporting body. You couldn't have a National Sports Campus without the GAA.

"The Government decided it would be here and gave us the land here so we developed it here. We didn't decide to put a facility into Dublin."

Hard to argue with Paraic Duffy on any of that but I'm sure some will try.

if_in_doubt (Kildare) - Posts: 3685 - 05/04/2016 12:17:34    1842035

Impressive but its for Dublin.....I can't see clubs around the country using it. A bit like the vanity project by Connacht in Bekan which charges to use the facilities and I know for a fact a mayo club could not get access to it in the lead up to the club final with flooded pitches all over the place. is used by nobody only colleges etc.....would have been better off dividing up the money for each county in Connacht....I suspect this new facility could end up the same way....

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11227 - 05/04/2016 13:08:21    1842080

I think its very fair putting this national training centre bang in the middle of the country.(Offside i hear ya buddy).

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 05/04/2016 13:27:20    1842086