THE chairman of the Tallaght Area Committee, Cllr Charlie O’Connor, has welcomed confirmation by South Dublin County Council that the new Stand at Tallaght Stadium will be completed in October 2018.
Cllr O’Connor (FF) has also been told by council management that architects have now been appointed to examine options for a fourth stand at the northern end of the stadium.
Management has also confirmed that an updated report on the matter will be brought to a council meeting in October.
According to Cllr O’Connor, these are clearly exciting plans for the completion of Tallaght Stadi-m and he has stressed to senior council management the need for a feasibility study in respect of future usage of the municipal stadium.
Cllr O’Connor referred to a recent report to him from council management stated that Tallaght Stadium hosts 40 games a year for Shamrock Rovers Football Club.
On top of these fixtures the pitch hosts on average an additional 30 to 40 events. These events have ranged from FAI Senior Women's and U21 international matches, South Dublin Schoolboy League football finals, American football games, GAA Feile finals and Leinster rugby matches among others.
As well as this the stadium’s conference facilities have been used for various business, social and community events which all bring revenue in towards stadium running costs.
“The pitch sees an average of nearly two events per week between February and November every year which is considerably in excess of the average number of events hosted in many of the stadia in the country,” Cllr O’Connor said.
“There is a balancing act that takes place to ensure the pitch usage is maximised without any detrimental effect to the playing surface.
“Stadium management are also tasked with actively looking for events suitable for the venue with initial steps in the entertainment sphere taken in 2015 when Nitro Circus brought their show from the US to Tallaght.
The development of the new third stand will increase seating capacity to 8,000 and we will then look to bring a concert to Tallaght Stadium with exploratory discussions underway with some promoters in this regard.
“In addition, plans for festive attractions at the stadium over the Christmas period are also advancing and should be announced in the coming weeks.”
Cllr O’Connor added that the County Promotion Unit will continue to explore sporting, entertainment and other events for the stadium.
The Hoops only recently lost their opening round draw in their latest European adventure after taking on Swedish side AIK.