Local clubs assured of priority access to county’s all-weather football pitches

SOUTH DUBLIN County Council (SDCC) has clarified that local clubs are given priority access to the county’s all-weather football facilities through the annual winter allocation process, which runs from September to April.

This statement came after Councillor Ó Broin raised a question at the latest SDCC meeting, asking “how SDCC justifies allowing sports teams from outside of SDCC to book the county’s public all-weather football facilities?”

Clubs from the local authoritative area are given the chance to identify their preferred days and “a winter allocation schedule is then prepared to provide successful applicants with recurring bookings for the allocated period,” according to SDCC.

The schedule depends on the level of demand from local clubs, as some specific time slots cannot be guaranteed as well as the need to ensure fair access for all applicants.

The minimum time allocation per club since the opening of the all-weather pitches, is one hour per week during the winter season.

Once all allocated bookings are confirmed, any remaining available slots are made available through the online booking system on a first-come, first-served basis.

These residual slots may be booked by all clubs, including clubs from outside the SDCC administrative area.

During the rest of the year, local clubs with existing allocations automatically receive an invitation to apply through the online pitch allocation system when the application window opens, which normally run August to June.

Clubs must submit the required application form and supporting documentation for review before they can be added to the allocation system.

For those without an existing allocation, contact should be made with the Public Realm Section to be added to the list for next season.

These clubs will then be invited to apply at the start of the allocation process alongside existing clubs.

Pitch-sharing arrangements are implemented by SDCC where appropriate to support fair and efficient use of available facilities.

Where pitches become available due to club closures or the development of new facilities, local clubs are invited to submit expressions of interest.

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