A NEW sports facility at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB) has been launched by Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar.
ITB say sports and fitness have been priorities since it was established back in 1999 and potential for development of facilities was a key factor in the selection of its 56 acre site on Blanchardstown Road North.
The new facilities include top quality all-weather and grass pitches, as well as a fully equipped gym and both indoor and outdoor changing areas.
The design team for the new sports facility was led by Mark Reid of Samuel Stephenson & Sons and the contractor was BAM Building Ltd.
The new building extends to 578 sq mt over two floors and additional plans will see it being further extended to approximately 1,500 sq mt in the future.
ITB says it sees all of its facilities as a resource to be shared with and used by the local community. The Institute already has an excellent relationship with Sports Club 15 with a large number of members enthusiastically active in the hall every Saturday morning.
Speaking at the launch Minister Varadkar said:
“This is a really impressive sports facility and I’m delighted to be asked to the formal opening.
“ITB has taken a pioneering record on the health and fitness of its students, and I congratulate everyone involved in this project. I also commend the Institute for making these facilities available to the local community.
?
Minister Varadkar also presented 25 students with ITB sports scholarships at the launch of the new facilities. The scholarships were established in 2006/07 to assist students with outstanding sports potential and ability.
Scholarship students currently compete at national and international level in a variety of sports.This year 25 scholarship worth between
?¬750 and
?¬1,000 will be awarded.
Scholarships are available to all full time ITB students and recipients receive academic mentoring, free athletic therapy support and high performance personal training.
Dr Mary Meaney, President of ITB congratulated the scholarship students at the launch event.
“I wish to offer my congratulations to all our scholarship students today,
? she said.
“ITB is also planning, in an alliance with DIT and IT Tallaght, to apply for designation as Ireland’s first Technological University. The concept of a Technological University is new to Ireland but common, for example, in Scandinavia, Germany, Australia and Canada.
“It is a description that fits well with the kind of institution we aim to be: innovative and entrepreneurial; closely connected with industry and community; and offering educational opportunities at every level – for school leavers; for job seekers; and for those returning to study so as to enhance or change careers.
“By joining with our sister institutions in Dublin, we believe we can build on what we now do separately to become an important element in the economic development of the Dublin Region and a part of Ireland’s economic recovery.
?