Top: Michael Dawson CEO of Leinster Rugby and RDS CEO Michael Duffyat the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin today.
Leinster RFC in a partnership with the RDS this morning details of a new arena to replace the stadium in Ballsbridge, Dublin. (top)
An arena?
Our Aaron collared Marcus ó Buachalla, (above) Leinster RFC head of communications for a ‘quiet word’.
Aaron: [exasperated] “What fresh madness is this?”
Marcus ó Buachalla: “The RDS Arena is going to be redeveloped by the RDS and Leinster Rugby. The first stage of the process is a worldwide architectural competition to select the best design possible in order to deliver a world class multi-purpose arena details here. We will we see the winning design by December 2014 hopefully.”
Aaron: “When will building work start?”
ó Buachalla: “Allowing for a 12 month planning process, in April 2016. The new RDS Arena be unveiled to Leinster Rugby fans for the 2017/18 season.
Aaron: “Where on EARTH will the games take place while this arena is getting built?
ó Buachalla: “The games will still take place in the RDS as the redevelopment will take place in stages….”
Aaron: [sarcastically] “Great news for ticket holders,..”
ó Buachalla: “As with any redevelopment, there may be some level of inconvenience but every effort will be made to accommodate all season ticket holders during the construction and no season ticket holder will be without a seat during that phase of the build. Ultimately this is about delivering a world class multi-purpose arena that will be to the long term benefit of all our supporters but our season ticket holders in particular who are our most valued supporters. The new RDS Arena will provide a far superior match day experience for those supporters.”
Aaron. “Go on then. HOW much?
ó Buachalla:: €20 million
Aaron: “What the f….”
ó Buachalla: “…however this will be privately funded by the RDS. There will be no Government/public money.”
Aaron: “So THIS is why ticket prices are going UP?”
ó Buachalla: “No. Leinster Rugby is a partner in this process and we fully support the RDS but we are only an anchor tenant at the RDS. This is being funded by the RDS privately.”
Aaron: “Where does this leave the mascot?”
ó Buachalla:”Leo?.”
Aaron: “Yeah the lion. I suppose he’s out? Doesn”t ‘fit in’ with your ‘plans’?
ó Buachalla:”Leo stays..”
Aaron: “Alright. Thanks.”
ó Buachalla:: “Thanks.”
Redevelopment Plans Announced (Leinster)
(Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland)
What about Donnybrook? Was redeveloped a few years back, seems a pity not to have it used more often.
Can’t hold enough people I’d imagine
Yeah. feckin tiny.
And the pitch is crap despite efforts to improve drainage etc.
Nowhere near enough even for quieter Pro12 games. It’s still used a lot for Leinster A games (and pre-season friendlies, sometimes).
Donnybrook only holds a maximum of 6000 people & not all those are seated either. Wouldn’t even fit an average Pro12 crowd against Italian opposition!
Re the drainage issues, brand new 4G pitch being laid as we speak.
How about going outside of Dublin maybe Laois or Westmeath or Wexford or Carlow why does it always have to be Dublin. It’s not that big of an island we can have stuff like stadia elsewhere. Come on IRFU think outside the Dublin box.
So you want 17k of 18k (allowing for a very generous 1k Carlow fans) to travel to Carlow? Leinster have done a lot of work in spreading throughout the province, but feel free to hold on to that old D4 cliché!
It’s probably easier to get public transport to Dublin than somewhere else for a lot of people. Also Dublin is presumably where most people come from to watch the match.
Probably due to where the majority of Leinster fans still live and the transport links to Ballsbridge I’d imagine.
They could move the odd pro 12 game around the province though in fairness. Maybe Treviso !!
If you build it they will come
Great out of the box thinking! Let’s move the staffroom o a town of 10k people in an area with a moderate interest in rugby. Sure you might reduce crowds by 12k but it would be good to get rugby out of Dublin for once!
The new stand was built just a few years ago. Mind you it does seem like a temporary structure
It is temporary. If you actually have to sit there, the entrances to the stand are just tarpaulins over scaffolding, feeding into some dangerously narrow “corridors”, which would be great craic in the event of an emergency
Good news but I agree with soft Like above, there should be a couple of matches played outside of Dublin.
Yeah it’d be great to have a selection of games played outside of Dublin around the provence.
Munster do it with games in Musgrave park.
Big difference is that Munster “own” Thomond/Musgrave, and have substantial fan bases in both.
Leinster have to lease the RDS, a lease which is oft-rumoured to contain a minimum number of games (so when the Pro12 grew to 12 teams, Leinster could then move one of the bigger Heineken Cup pool games to Lansdowne Rd.). Not sure how accurate that is, but it does seem to hold true.
Maybe moving more of the pre-season friendlies (beyond Tallaght!) and some of the A games would be a good start, rather than displacing 15-19k fans who have no interest in getting to Wexford.
With Munster the venue is build into the Pro12 season ticket structure..so we have seasons tickets for Limerick, for Cork and for both. Any consideration to move games around Leinster would have to be made clear to season ticket purchasers and I’d expect would hit sales. Leinster and the Leinster supporters club have done a great job since 2006 of spreading the interest around the province in fairness but staging Pro12 games elsewhere wouldn’t be that easy.
Very disappointing that my beloved terrace appears to be on its way out. It just won’t be the same without it.
The old Anglesea terracing (right beside the pitch) will be missed alright but the main stand itself won’t. Hasn’t been fit for purpose in years, lots of obscured views, dire facilities etc
Brave new world…
There’s only two fire exits per three blocks of seats. Middle block be focked if it went up in flames.
The brief includes a requirement for a 1,500 capacity terrace.
Excellent news. Its being reported as fully seated by a few outlets, so lets hope thats not where it goes.
Yeah, definitely “in their plans” to have a terrace for 1,500, according to thescore.ie at any rate
Ah the terrace die-hards
Llanelli retained a terrace along the front of one of the stands in their new stadium after complaints from supporters and it works great. Maybe it’s something for the supporters club to raise with Leinster before a design is selected?
OLSC are the biggest bunch of moaners ever. All they do is criticise their own club staff. You’ll never keep them or their yearly scarves happy.
Donnybrook is being resurfaced with two artificial pitches at the moment.
And yes I too have no time for the olsc. They are a clique of rather recent fans to the game. The zeal of the convert etc….
Egg chasing still quite popular with the old waspish colonial set I see , a bit of a cultural inferiority complex still hanging around?