Gaelic games pitch will have “phenomenal impact” after €180k investment

A NEW state-of-the-art gaelic games pitch will have a “phenomenal impact” on Faughs GAA club and the surrounding community that use Tymon Park, following an investment of around €180k.

Designed by SportsLabs Ltd and constructed by Haffey Sports Grounds Ltd in Tymon Park, the grass pitch has been designed to cater for maximum use of the growing hurling and camogie club.

At the recent launch, hurlers from the nearby St Pius X and St Josephs boys national schools treated onlookers to an exhibition game on the new pitch.

Games Promotion Officer for Faughs, Tommy O’Mahony, and Paul O’Connor from the club’s under 16s team, ran a demonstration of the basics of hurling for attendees.

A hurling and camogie club, Faughs is one of the oldest and most successful in the country and the pitch re-development will help them continue their growth into the future.

“This will have a phenomenal impact on Faughs,” Paul Dixon, Faughs vice chairperson, tells The Echo.

“It’s the nearest pitch to our club, and it’s a full-sized regulation sized pitch, whereas it wasn’t before, that can support adult senior matches as well as our rapidly expanding juvenile section.

“We are getting significant growth here in the club, so it’s very important to us to have a regulation-size pitch that will enable us to continue expanding into the next five-years of our development plan.”

Throughout 2020, Faughs offered insights as to how their main pitch redevelopment was progressing with the surface being levelled and drainage installed before it was reseeded.

The pitch was fitted with a ‘reinforced grass’ surface at goalmouths.

This is an artificial surface which allows real grass to grow through it, providing extra durability without compromising the feel of real grass.

In a statement to The Echo, a spokesperson for South Dublin County Council said: “Costing approximately €180,000, the work was funded by a successful application by SDCC to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport’s Sports Capital Infrastructure Grant Allocations and by a contribution from Faugh’s GAA Club, who actively use the sports pitches in Tymon Park.

“The support of both is acknowledged by SDCC.”

There was a great number of people in attendance at the launch, including Mayor of South Dublin County Council, Cllr Emma Murphy.