Founded back in 1887 Athlone Town is the oldest soccer club in the Republic of Ireland and since 1927 St. Mel's Park has been the home of Athlone Town F.C. For close on 80 years this venue has served Athlone football very well indeed and many of us have happy memories of St. Mel's Park and can recall very exciting games played there. The visit of football giants A.C. Milan in 1975 and two successful league campaigns under manager Turlough O'Connor in the years 1981 and 1983 are just a few to treasure.

Time has moved on since then and so have the standards of playing facilities and regretfully St. Mel's Park has not kept pace with improving venues nationwide. Under new U.E.F.A. regulations Athlone Town F.C. will no longer be permitted to continue playing at St. Mel's Park after April 2004. Under the new F.A.I. Licensing Regulations Athlone Town F.C. are obliged to move to a new stadium that meets the required criterion, if Eircom League Football is to continue in Athlone. Any thoughts of losing top-flight football in Athlone, which steeped in history and proud of its heritage, is just unthinkable.

With this section of the website, we aim to keep you up-to-date with all the latest news, fundraising, and on-going developments of this momentous project.