Plum grant for Bohs ‘Home of Irish Football’

Article posted by Coliseum, November 15^th, 2024

Image: Holmes Miller

The oldest football club in Ireland has been granted a Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) Fund.

‘HOT PRESS’ stated that the Irish professional association football club – the Bohemian Football Club – have been approved for a €24,700,000 grant under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) for the full redevelopment of their home ground – the Dalymount Park in Dublin, Ireland. The fund has allocated €173m in total to major sports projects across Ireland.

The Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) is a fund that supports the larger sports facilities in Ireland. The fund was established in 2018 as part of the National Sports Policy. The LSSIF’s purpose is to provide support for the sports facilities that require more investment than the maximum amount available under the Community Sport Facilities Fund.

The Bohemian Football Club, more commonly referred to as the Bohemians or the Bohs, is an Irish professional association football club based in Dublin, Ireland. The Bohemians compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the oldest League of Ireland club in continuous existence.

The 4,500-capacity Dalymount Park is a football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is the home of the Bohemian F.C. who has played there since the early 20th century.

The League of Ireland Premier Division, also known as the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division for sponsorship reasons, is the top level division in both the League of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland football league system.

‘HOT PRESS’ further stated that expressing their gratitude for the grant, the Board of Bohemian F.C. stated that today (November 4^th) is “one of the most important days for the Bohemian F.C. and ‘the Home of Irish Football’, Dalymount Park, in our long shared histories”.

The Bohs also recently finished their season recently coming in eighth in the Premier Division of Ireland.

The other teams such as the League of Ireland Premier Division team the Sligo Rovers F.C. have plans to redevelop their ground under the grant. The Sligo Rovers home arena – the 3,873-capacity The Showgrounds in Sligo, Ireland – was recently awarded with €16.4m allocated for their project.

The redesigned stadium is set to include a new sand-based grass pitch, new stands to the East and West side and 6,240 new seats. There will also be a community facility with a community gym and a modern matchday facility for the teams and the officials.

The stadium boasts a rich history including a Bob Marley (Jamaican singer-songwriter and guitarist) performance in 1980, his only Irish gig and his last outdoor show. The park was opened in 1901 and has been home of the Bohemians since.

As a part of the grant there is to be a provision of a public thoroughfare along the Eastern boundary connecting the North Circular Road and the Connaught Street to include various eateries and a new public plaza.

Maintained Matt Devaney, Bohemian F.C. President, “With funding now secured to complete the Dalymount redevelopment we look forward to having a modern stadium with increased capacity that will serve the Bohs and the broader area for the years to come. I would like to thank the Dublin City Council and all those across the political landscape who have got us to this point.”

The Dublin City Council is the local authority of the City of Dublin in Ireland. As a City Council it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the authority was known as the Dublin Corporation.

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