New all-weather pitches and pavilion a boon to Blanchardstown and beyond says minister
New all-weather pitches and a sports pavilion have been opened for business at the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown by Minister for Sport Leo Varadkar.
Speaking at the launch of the modern multi-sport facilities that will host GAA, hockey, rugby, and soccer, the minister hailed the campus as a facility for the community.
Twelve floodlit synthetic pitches are now open to the public for a variety of sports, and can accommodate six-a-side, half-pitch or training pitch configurations as required.
Minister Varadkar also stated that work is set to begin this year on the new €13m National Indoor Arena, the first facility of its kind in Ireland dedicated to indoor athletics, gymnastics and a host of other sports.
Both the GAA and FAI are expected to announce the start of work on their own facilities at the National Sports Campus in the next few months, as part of the Development Through Partnership plan between the Government and sports’ national governing bodies (NGBs).
The campus already houses the Irish Sport headquarters and hosts a world-class equestrian area and pentathlon training facilities, and a soon-to-be-opened diving training centre.
The minister described the new pitches as a “tremendous addition to the sports facilities at the campus. We want clubs and teams from across Ireland to use these top-class pitches and pavilion.
These additions, he added, “will give us a truly National Sports Campus for athletes at every level, from community level to elite, and from a huge range of disciplines.”
