FAI abandons Glanmire Centre of Excellence as site leases to Riverstown FC

Plans for a €2 million regional soccer facility in Cork have been overhauled after the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) officially abandoned its proposed Munster Centre of Excellence in Glanmire.

Speaking in the Dáil, Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, Charlie McConalogue, confirmed that the FAI wrote to the Department stating it would not proceed with the Glanmire development. The project had previously been provisionally allocated €2,025,000 under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) for the development of grass pitches, an Astroturf facility, floodlighting, and dressing rooms.

According to the FAI, the decision to drop the project was made because the original plans no longer represented the greatest return on investment for the parties involved.

Site Transferred to Local Club

The 30-acre site, originally acquired by Cork County Council more than 25 years ago during the construction of the Cork-Dublin road, was leased to the FAI in 2017 but has remained entirely vacant.

Deputy Colm Burke raised concerns in the Dáil over the lack of progress on the lands, noting that local sports clubs in the Glanmire area—which has a population of over 20,000—are currently struggling to accommodate new members due to a lack of facilities and planning permissions.

Minister of State McConalogue confirmed that the property has now been leased to Riverstown Football Club by Cork County Council. Riverstown Football Club is reportedly working with the local authority to develop a multisport facility at the site.

Revised FAI Proposal

While the Glanmire site has been reassigned, the FAI is progressing a revised proposal for a centre of excellence elsewhere in partnership with University College Cork (UCC).

The FAI submitted a draft business case for this revised joint venture to the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. The Department returned its observations on the draft on 21 June, and a final business case is expected to be submitted shortly.