SLIGO ROVERS GRANTED €16.4 MILLION FOR NEW SLIGO SHOWGROUNDS STADIUM

News

TRANSFORMATIVE DEVELOPMENT FOR CLUB’S CENTENARY

Sligo Rovers are delighted to confirm that the club has been granted €16,400,000 under Government’s Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) for the redevelopment of the Sligo Showgrounds. This level of Government funding is unprecedented for a sporting project in the north-west. It represents one of the most significant grant awards to a League of Ireland Club and will see the delivery of a new regional multi-sport stadium, the first UEFA Category 3 Stadium outside Dublin.

The development will increase the seated capacity of the Showgrounds to 6,129 and entails major modernization of stadium facilities. This will include a new grass based hybrid pitch, which will accommodate other sports and activities, new stands on the Church Hill and Jinks’ Avenue ends, upgrades to the Treacy Avenue and Railway end stands, new hospitality areas, fan zones, meeting rooms, gymnasium, club merchandise shop, media area and a new club museum.  

New visiting supporter seating will be provided in the Jinks Avenue stand with associated food and beverage facilities. The new stadium will also meet the requirements for modern TV broadcasts.

Sligo Rovers Chairman Tommy Higgins said ‘This is a momentous day for everyone in Sligo and an exciting one for our Sligo Rovers fanbase in Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo, Donegal, Roscommon and indeed throughout Ireland. We have experienced nothing but full cooperation and encouragement from our own community, our local authority, local TD’s and Senior Government Ministers, and for this we are very grateful.  

Due primarily to the efforts of our late colleague Tommie Gorman, we were able to present detailed briefings in the Showgrounds to Taoiseach Simon Harris, Tanaiste Micheal Martin, Ministers Catherine Martin, Heather Humphreys and Thomas Byrne. We also briefed Minister for Finance Jack Chambers. 

We especially thank Minister Catherine Martin for her sustained and supportive interest in our project and whose Department prioritised our application and recommended the grant award.

We are deeply appreciative of the contribution made by Frank Feighan, TD, in particular his practical advice and guidance, and his representations on our behalf, as we pursue the significant investment we need to make our stadium development plan a reality.

We would like to thank the FAI for its national ranking and valued support, especially Mark Scanlon, Walter Holloran, FAI adviser Tim Tuomey and the FAI Board, who all took a deep interest in our project. Another valuable contributor is Special Olympics Ireland, who awarded us a national ranking and we thank Myra Merrick for her assistance and support. Sligo County Council agreed to act as the project sponsor and awarded the project local priority ranking – we particularly acknowledge the help given by Martin Lydon, Chief Executive and Dorothy Clarke, Director of Services.

Sligo Rovers Development Officer Mark Cummins acknowledged the contribution of the many individuals and agencies involved in the project. ‘We had an exceptional support team in place at every stage of the very detailed application process, Design Team lead Gavin Phelan of Rhatigan’s Architects, Enda Candon of First Western Consultants, and within the Club, Shona Heffernan and Jamie Murphy. Tom Kelly on our Project Team coordinated all the various elements of the detailed submission with great professionalism’. 

We have an excellent working relationship with Chair Albert Higgins and the Showgrounds Trustee Board, they have a hugely important remit in preserving the Showgrounds as a sporting and community facility, sharing our conviction that this development will be a major boost for the Club and the people of Sligo and the north-west.’ 

Sligo Rovers Secretary Brendan Lacken reaffirmed the support of the FAI (the FAI Board and David Courell, CEO) and Special Olympics Ireland (Matt English, CEO), who committed their support for the project by awarding it a priority ranking within their respective strategies for the development of their sports. It also enhanced our application to receive letters of support from those two organisations, along with Cairn National Community Games (David Hoysted, CEO), Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership (Deirdre Lavin, CEO), Sligo Business Improvement District (BID) (Gail McGibbon, CEO) and Sligo Volunteer Centre (Geraldine McCloat, ACE Officer).

SLIGO ROVERS MASTERPLAN – KEY MILESTONES 

  • May 2021 Sligo Rovers publishes its Masterplan for the Showgrounds. 
  • February 2023 Statutory planning for the main stadium works achieved. 
  • October 2023 Design Team appointed to take forward the detailed design of the stadium.
  • June 2024 Updated design and current cost plan delivered to the Club by the Design Team.
  • July 2024 Grant application made to the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund. 
  • September 2024 Supplementary planning approval for some amendments to the stadium secured. 
  • November 2024 Government award under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund announced. 

BENEFITS FOR SUPPORTERS AND VISITORS TO THE SHOWGROUNDS

  • The project provides for the development of a multi-sport stadium to UEFA Category 3 and World Rugby standards for the hosting of soccer, rugby and other sports.
  • The new stadium will deliver a seating capacity of 6,129, as follows:
  • Churchill End stand                1,408
    • Jinks Avenue End stand      1,576 (up to 750 seats for away supporters)
    • Treacy Avenue End stand   1,855
    • Railway End stand              1,290
  • The new hybrid grass based pitch will bring a modern playing surface to the highest international standards and on par with the best available in the country. This modern pitch will be more durable and weather resistant and will enable the club’s coaches to improve playing performance as they develop our senior and academy players.
  • New Churchill End stand with food and beverage hospitality areas for supporters and visitors, club shop, modern gymnasium and facilities for the Men’s and Women’s teams and offices for team management and club management. 
  • New Jinks Avenue End stand with new players and officials changing rooms, medical room, anti doping room, players tunnel and dug outs and a stadium control room. 
  • Upgrades to the Treacy Avenue and Railway End stands. 
  • Additional media facilities and camera positions within the new Jinks Avenue stand ensuring that the new stadium can meet UEFA standards and modern TV broadcast requirements. 
  • New paved entrance plaza leading to new home turnstiles and a large fanzone adjacent to the Churchill stand.
  • New away turnstiles at the Jinks Avenue stand approached via a designated pathway from a new away supporter entrance on Churchill. New food and beverage area, and toilet facilities, for away supporters in the Jinks Avenue stand.
  • Two new pavilion buildings at the main stadium entrance on Churchill, which will include matchday ticketing and a new club museum.
  • Sustainability measures including rainwater harvesting, solar generation, extensive landscaping and the installation of charging points for electric vehicles and e-bikes.
  • New secure parking for match officials and media vehicles  along with Improvements to onsite car parking and site services
  • Accessible seating will be provided in the new Churchill and Jinks Avenue stands (in both home and away sections) to supplement existing seating in the Treacy Avenue stands. 
  • Accessible parking will be provided in designated areas within the Showgrounds.
  • Removal of existing pre-fabricated and small buildings adjacent to the current main entrance
  • Stadium amenities will be available daily throughout the week for sporting and social use, and the Showgrounds, with its new Bit O’ Red Museum complementing our existing acclaimed outdoor museum, will become an important cultural, tourist and leisure destination for the people of Sligo and attract visitors to the area.

DESIGN TEAM AND PROJECT SUPPORTS

  • The club’s design team, led by accomplished Sligo based firm, Rhatigan Architects (Director – Trevor James and Lead architect – Gavin Phelan), includes the following consultants:
  • AtkinsRéalis (civil and structural engineers)
  • Patrick McCaul (mechanical and electrical engineers)
  • ORS (fire safety and health & safety consultants)
  • CQS (quantity surveyors)
  • Along with Sligo County Council, the Football Association of Ireland and Special Olympics Ireland awarded our project a national priority ranking in their respective sports;
  • The following organisations provided Sligo Rovers with letters of support:
  • Football Association of Ireland
    • Special Olympics Ireland
    • Cairn Community Games
    • Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership
    • Sligo Business Improvement District
    • Sligo Volunteer Centre

ROVERS IN THE COMMUNITY

  • Sligo Rovers has always been a welcoming club and, as part of our project, the Club has agreed advanced licensing of the new facilities for use by the local amateur soccer leagues – boys and girls, men and women, the ATU, all of the local Colleges, Sligo Community Games and the Sligo Sports and Recreation Partnership. We also see our popular summer camps for boys and girls growing in the future.
  • The Showgrounds will return to its multi-sport roots with Sligo Rugby Club and Sligo College rugby teams having the opportunity to play there. 
  • The Club also welcomes the potential for the future hosting of the Sligo and regional community games finals in soccer and other sports at the Showgrounds once our facilities are constructed.
  • As a community based club, we also thank those local sporting organisations and schools who confirmed their support for our project and will contribute to multi-sport use of the Showgrounds when complete:
  • Sligo Leitrim Schoolboys and Girls League
    • Sligo Leitrim and District Soccer League/Sligo Women’s Soccer League
    • Sligo Community Games
    • Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership
    • Sligo Rugby Club
    • Atlantic Technological University
    • Mercy College
    • Ursuline College
    • Ballinode College
    • Sligo Grammar School
    • Summerhill College
  • One of the founding principles of the Showgrounds Trust Foundation is that the ground will always be available to the local community as a cultural, sporting and recreational facility and this commitment informed the club’s engagement with the Showgrounds Trustees at every stage of the application process and will be delivered on in the new Showgrounds. 

NEXT STEPS

  • We are now about to enter an exciting phase of our journey to create a stadium comparable with the best in the country and one that Sligo and our region will be proud of. It is our intention to keep the stadium operating to the maximum extent possible while the works are in progress. 

The club will appoint a Project Team, reporting to the Club Management Committee, to oversee and manage all aspects of the development project including legal, financial, technical, procurement, contracts, handover/certification, co-ordination with ongoing operations and community engagement. The Project Team will be made up of club officials and external experts working in a voluntary capacity.

  • During 2025 the Design Team will finalize the detailed design of the stadium and will tender the construction works. 
  • The club expects to appoint a building contractor and specialist sub contractors in the fourth quarter of 2025 with works commencing in early 2026. 
  • The design team estimate that the overall stadium works will take 21 months to complete.
  • The laying of the new pitch will cause the most significant disruption to the continued operation of the stadium as the new grass based pitch installation cannot be done in the off season. The pitch will most likely be unavailable for 4 months mid season and the Club will need to negotiate the rescheduling of home games with the FAI and the other LoI clubs for this period. This is likely to happen in 2026.
  • In the interim, the club has recently been awarded €376,000 by Government under the Community Facilities Programme to carry out further improvements at the Showgrounds, most notably the final phase of the floodlights on the Treacy Avenue side and the renewal of the astro pitch playing surface. It is intended that these works will be completed in 2025.
  • And in 2028, in time for the centenary anniversary of the founding of Sligo Rovers, the new era will commence with the full opening of the new Sligo Showgrounds stadium, and we look forward to welcoming our current supporters and attracting new ones as we seek to continue the proud heritage, history and achievements of the Bit O’ Red. 

November 2024