O’Byrne insists Athboy a ‘realistic location’ for ambitious project

Former chief executive of the FAI Bernard O'Byrne is pushing ahead with his plans to set up a League of Ireland club in Athboy with a modern stadium, insisting the town is "a realistic location for the project."

Byrne - who is the chairman of Athboy Celtic FC and who has lived in the town for 14 years - suggests that because there is so much growth potential in the area, it is a suitable location for such a project.

"Athboy, while an attractive country town with an established tradition, community work is economically underdeveloped," he told the Meath Chronicle.

"It is classed as an area of potential regeneration and development. The surrounding catchment area has no large employer, no large cultural venue and no major sporting facility. Conversely, it has a growing population and a falling average age of population.

"Athboy would therefore be a realistic location for this project. Ideally, we would like to site it in out near the present Cowpark facility in Athboy, home ground of Athboy Celtic. There may be alternatives near the general M3 corridor."

"The challenge for anybody wishing to correct the above-mentioned deficiencies is to propose a solution that is sustainable, risk-minimum with a high potential for economic and social success."

During his term as chief executive of the FAI between 1996 and 2001, O'Byrne sought to promote the ambitious building of the so-called Eircom Park stadium. However the project had some powerful opponents and it never got off the ground. O'Byrne went on to become the chief of Basketball Ireland and had a very successful spell at the helm. One of his considerable achievements was ridding the body of a hefty 1.2 million euro debt.

However in 2020 he was forced to step down from his role with Basketball Ireland after what he termed "extremely ill-judged attempt at humour" when he tweeted 'black dives matter' after Raheem Sterling won a penalty for England during their Euro semi-final clash with Denmark. He was "deeply apologetic" for any offence caused and is still involved in basketball.

The League of Ireland club in Meath project might be, in the view of many, wildly ambitious but O'Byrne insists it is a realistic target with the plans including a proposal to build "a modern progressive, multi-functional sports and cultural venue." This venue, it is envisaged, would also trigger economic development alongside, or as part, of the venue.

"The venue will have a 10-acre footprint including car parking and good access to the M3 motorway," he adds. "It will be a Dome similar to the Connaught Rugby dome which gives ease of construction and maintenance, vastly reduced construction costs than a conventional building, capacity of up to 10,000 and flexibility for future development. It will be capable of hosting League of Ireland football, concerts, exhibitions and various other sports and events all year round.

"It may be that a collaboration with a third level educational institution in terms of an educational campus involving promotion of the Irish language might be possible given the nearby location of the Rathcairn Gaeltacht to Athboy. This would mirror the relationship between NUIG and the Connaught Rugby Dome.

"The Connaught Dome cost €3m to build. Overall development is estimated at €5m excluding land cost. It received a €750,000 re-generation government grant. A private investor or consortium will be needed. A formal alliance with a sporting entity (potentially a new League of Ireland entity from Meath) would involve the sporting community."

O'Byrne outlined to the Meath Chronicle how "a small working group" is being set up to move the initial phase of the project on. Discussions have commenced with identified stakeholders.

"Contact has been made with other clubs in the Navan, Trim, Kells triangle and the NEFL proposing a meeting for a general discussion on the project. Preliminary work on a formal feasibility study has commenced.

"It is important to the project that it is aligned with national, regional and local strategies. The project is now being discussed publicly by way of inviting potentially interested parties to contact the promoters," O'Byrne added.