Taoiseach On Hand To Turn Sod

Historic: An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern officially turns the sod on Athlone Town's New Stadium at Lissywolan, Athlone - watched by Tom Burke [Project Manager], Kevin Moran [Mayor of Athlone], Fran Rooney [FAI CEO], and John Delaney [Hon Treasurer, FAI].

THE TAOISEACH signalled a major milestone for the Athlone Town Stadium Project team on Friday afternoon, November 21st, when he turned the first sod for Athlone Town's new €4 million stadium and then called on local businesses and the football public in the midlands to cough up the cash needed to complete the project.

After months of preparatory behind the scenes exertions, work can finally commence at the Lissywollen site. "It is crucial to get the thing started. This has been our problem all along but at least now people can really believe that this is going to happen. We've been six months in planning, preparation and legal issues but now most of those are resolved and we are in a position to go in and start doing physical work on the site. The fundraising has fallen away over the last couple of months and people want to see the evidence but we are at the stage now that people can come forward and support the project. It is now reality and is no longer a pipe-dream as some people described it a time back. The work is going to start in the next couple of weeks. Weather permitting maybe before Christmas but certainly after Christmas," said the Stadium Project Manager, Tom Burke.

Already, 1 million Euro has been secured through Lottery funding but further funding from Bertie Ahern's Government could depend upon local community contributions. Tom Burke has also managed to get backing from the FAI who have been very impressed with the club's business plan and the organisation skills of the Project Team.

"We are delighted for Athlone. The FAI have actually assisted in this as a project and we are delighted to support them. Athlone is a great midlands club, they have great history and we are hoping that the investments that the FAI have put in and the people of Athlone have put in will bring a very good stadium to the town. The most important thing now is local support for the project and for the team. They are going to have a stadium in the future which will be a very good stadium, very neat with a very nice capacity. The team is playing well and developing but the most important thing to remember is that the Eircom League have improved tremendously over the last couple of years. There is great quality with a lot of good young players. The League will become good in Europe over time and Athlone have the capacity to be one of the top teams in the league and I think the great work that is being done by the management team here, the board and the coaching staff aswell are developing the players. I think Athlone can look forward to a very good future," said Fran Rooney, the Chief Executive of the Football Association of Ireland.

Waiting Game: The large crowd wait for An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to arrive.

The Sod Turning Ceremony attracted a large crowd as officials, fans, local media and even the national press put in an appearance. As work gets underway, Athlone Town Football Club will have to say goodbye to St. Mel's Park, their home of 67 years when the stadium is finished, hopefully in time for the 2005 season. The attractive structure should encourage the cream of young talent back to Athlone Town once again. "Padraig has done a lot of work in terms of the whole regional development scenario. The project that is going ahead at St. Francis is very encouraging for the town. The FAI have a Technical Plan which works on developing players locally and helping them to develop as they stay in their own region and all the facilities and coaching here will bring them forward," said Rooney.

The ceremony aptly coincided with the launch of the Project Team's Corporate Sector brochure, inviting the community to join in and ensure that the long term future of Athlone Town Football Club is secure. The corporate sector of the stadium enables people to be a patron of Athlone Town Stadium for five or 10 years and it is important that people get involved or else Athlone's stadium could end up as shambolic as the whole Shamrock Rovers mess. "The FAI have been to the back-bone of this from the word go. When we talked about developing St. Mel's Park, the FAI came on board and advised us against this because we didn't have enough room to do what we needed for a stadium and proper training facilities," said a delighted Paddy McCaul at the ceremony.

New Stadium Project Manager Tom Burke and An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern enjoy a light hearted moment at the press conference following the Sod Turning Ceremony. Pic: lspix.com.

On turning the first sod at the side, the Taoiseach vowed to come back and officially open the new stadium. Mr. Ahern T.D has always been a keen supporter of the Eircom League and can often been seen at Tolka Park, the home of this season's champions. "Today, we are opening a new chapter in the quality of sports facilities for the young people of this area. I believe that a project of this magnitude is proof, if proof were needed, of the club's strong commitment and loyalty to the youth of Athlone. "Athlone has the distinction of being the oldest senior club in the country. They have won every major honour in the Irish game and have competed with distinction in European competition culminating in the unforgettable visit of AC Milan to St. Mel's Park in 1975, when the Italians clung on desperately for a draw. St. Mel's will always will have a special place in the history of League of Ireland football but now it is time to move on and it is only fitting that a club that has given so much to the game in the heart of the country should now benefit from the very best facilities. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Tom Burke who has been chosen to head-up the project and to all of his team who will bring it to fruition. I salute too all of the club coaches and managers and everyone involved in the club who have continually focused on the needs of the local community over the years. I thank you for taking this important leap for the game.

I wish you all well in your work to raise the balance of the funds needed from individual donations and corporate fundraisers. Already, the signs are positive and may that strong support from the local community continue a pace so that, your vision for the new stadium becomes a reality as soon as possible," said the Taoiseach at a packed press conference in The Bounty.

With the Government providing €1 million for the opening phase of the development, Athlone must raise a further €1.5 million to complete the pitch and main stand. It's a fresh start for this proud club as dreams finally seem to be turning into reality.