The Tallaght Stadium row is set to rumble on after local GAA club Thomas Davis were granted a date of March 16 next to appeal for a judicial review into the decision to make the venue a soccer-only facility. In their affidavit to the High Court on Thursday, December 14, Thomas Davis expressed concern that "the youth of Tallaght would be restricted to a diet of association football." The Tallaght club, who have the support of five other southside GAA clubs as well as the Dublin county board and Croke Park, contend that as the project is being funded by the Government, it should be made available for the GAA as a southside alternative to Parnell Park. But it has now emerged that the FAI will foot a significant portion of Shamrock Rovers' legal bill to fight the case. Rovers are the proposed anchor tenants, but the Thomas Davis appeal guarantees a further delay to the project, which has been stalled since last February. "We want to see Shamrock Rovers playing in the Tallaght Community Stadium and as soon as possible," said FAI chief executive John Delaney, who insisted on Wednesday that relations between his body and the GAA were "very cordial", despite the GAA's refusal to grant the Irish soccer team permission to train at Croke Park next February. Tweet

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