User:Jnestorius/Sports Campus Ireland

Did you know...

...that the cancelled stadium planned for Sports Campus Ireland was nicknamed the "Bertie Bowl", after Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, and called "a Ceauşescu-era project" by his own Attorney General?

(Don't wikilink "stadium" as there is no separate article for the stadium as opposed to the campus.)

Sports Campus Ireland is a multi-sport campus under development at Abbotstown, Blanchardstown, County Dublin. Announced in 1999, it is intended to provide a range of services for sports administration, training, and competition in the Republic of Ireland. The first part of the facility to open was the National Aquatic Centre in 2003. The main part of the original vision was "Stadium Ireland", an 80,000 all-seater national stadium. This was derisively nicknamed the "Bertie Bowl" after Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, its most enthusiastic advocate. Stadium Ireland was abandoned due to excessive cost, in favour of redeveloping Lansdowne Road in Ballsbridge. Other facilities are being built though public-private partnerships on a prioritised basis as funding permits.

Vision

The Abbotstown site was previously the location of the National Laboratories. In 2000, it was decided as the location for "Stadium Ireland" a proposed all-seater National Stadium for use for Gaelic Games, soccer and rugby. It was dubbed the "Bertie Bowl" after Taoiseach Bertie Aherne, its most enthusiastic backer. Michael McDowell, then Attorney General in Ahern's cabinet, dismissed the stadium as a "Ceausescu-era project".

Development

State Laboratory. "Location Map - The State Laboratory". Retrieved 2007-12-13. The State Laboratories have moved to [ Backweston], County Kildare, south of Leixlip.

Overview

NCSDA (2007). "NSCDA: Timeline". Retrieved 2007-12-13. May 2007
National Sports Campus Development Authority advertise in European Journal for Design and Project Management teams.

1 January 2007
National Sports Campus Development Authority was established. Mr Dan Flinter appointed chairman.

First meeting of the NSCDA takes place on 25 January. Minister O'Donoghue addresses the Authority. Mr Donagh Morgan appointed CEO of National Sports Campus Development Authority.

1 December 2006
National Aquatic Centre reverts into State ownership.

June 2006
National Sports Campus Development Authority Act 2006 is passed by the Oireachtas.

15 November 2005
Government approves Phase One of the Development Control Plan with funding of €120m over a four/five year period..

27 January 2004
Government announces it intends proceeding with the creation of a world class sports campus at Abbotstown.

Oct 1998

"In Focus: A National Stadium for Ireland". The Irish Times. 17 October 1998. p. p.35. {{cite news}}: |page= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

Mar 27 2000

"(6 articles)". The Irish Times. 27 January 2000. pp. 1, 16, 17, 22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

1999

PriceWaterhouseCoopers (22 October 1999). "Stadium for the New Century" (PDF or HTML). Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. Retrieved 2007-12-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

2000

Irish Sports Council (???? 1999). "THE IRISH SPORTS COUNCIL'S STRATEGY 2000-2002" (PDF). pp. p.12. Retrieved 2007-12-13. The newly established Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Company is charged with overseeing the development of the proposed Stadium Ireland and Sports Campus Ireland. This significant development for Irish sport has the full support of the Irish Sports Council. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)

Feb 2000

Written Answers. - Sports Campus Ireland. Dáil Éireann debates (Volume 513 ed.). Dublin: Government of Ireland. 2000-02-01. pp. p.907. Retrieved 2007-12-13. 291. Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the progress, if any, made with regard to the proposed 80,000 capacity stadium at Abbotstown, north-west Dublin; and the Government's proposed timeframe for the construction of the stadium and its opening.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation (Dr. McDaid): As the Deputy may be aware, the Taoiseach announced last week that the Government has decided to proceed immediately with plans to build a campus of sporting excellence, including an 80,000 all seated national stadium, at Abbotstown in west Dublin, to be known as Sports Campus Ireland. He added that a newly established development company will finalise the plans for the campus and stadium and oversee their implementation. The building programme is scheduled to be completed in 2005. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)

Mar 2000

Other Questions. - National Stadium. Dáil Éireann debates (Volume 516 ed.). Dublin: Government of Ireland. 2000-04-08. pp. p.???. Retrieved 2007-12-13. a letter of assignation between Pictet and Cie, Geneva, and the Department of the Taoiseach, gives effect to the private donation of £50 million from Mr. J. P. McManus towards the financing and development of Sports Campus Ireland and Stadium Ireland. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Mar 2001

Treacy, John (2001-04-04). "Sports Campus Ireland: stadium of dreams for all; STATE-OF-THE-ART". Sunday Mirror. The Abbotstown project is not merely about building a national stadium. In fact, Stadium Ireland represents less than 40 per cent of what is not only one of the most ambitious sports projects ever contemplated in this country, but perhaps anywhere in Europe. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Apr 2001

"Ahern's stadium plan in trouble". BBC News Online. BBC. Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern's plan to build a national sports stadium was in fresh trouble on Thursday as coalition partners and opposition parties lined up to criticise the plan. The sports-mad Ahern's enthusiasm for the Stadium Ireland project has led the media to dub it the "Bertie Bowl". However an increasing number of his allies and opponents are baulking at cost estimates of up to one billion Irish pounds (£800m). {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

May 2001

Private Members' Business. - Stadium Ireland: Motion. Dáil Éireann debates (Volume 535 ed.). Dublin: Government of Ireland. 2001-05-01. pp. p.???. Retrieved 2007-12-13. Mr. Noonan: I move:
That Dáil Éireann:
*condemns the blatant disregard of proper Cabinet financial procedures in relation to Stadium Ireland and related spending;
*expresses its alarm at the continuing escalation of the cost of the project to over £1 billion and the willingness of the Taoiseach to commit to any spending to facilitate its realisation;
*believes that these monies would be better spent on health, education and local sports facilities around the country;
*rejects the sporting priorities of the Government, which has set Stadium Ireland ahead of the need to develop the basis in the community for sporting participation and for sporting excellence, and resolves that all preparatory work on Stadium Ireland be immediately suspended and that no further commitments be entered upon in relation to it. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Jun 2001

"'Bertie Bowl' stadium car park size cut by nearly 60pc". Irish Independent. This move came just hours before independent consultants were due to submit their final tenders for the right to judge the feasibility of the project. A total of eight private companies are vying for the lucrative Government contract. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

"Scientific community must benefit from Sports Campus Ireland". Irish Veterinary Journal. 54 (7): 321. July, 2001. The cost of the relocation to a purpose-built facility at the 360- acre Backweston Farm near Celbridge, Co. Kildare, has risen dramatically in what has become something of a financial tit-for-tat with the ever-rising cost of Sports Campus Ireland. In March last year, the first estimate for the relocation, given by the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, was �90 million.
This figure has now risen to �193 million. After the idea for Sports Campus Ireland was developed, work which was already under way at Abbotstown to build a �3 million extension to the State Laboratory was halted and Abbotstown's 352 employees were left in no doubt that they were being relocated to make way for the new stadium. This announcement was made despite a petition, signed by 259 of the employees, which rightly signalled their anger at the lack of consultation.
It would appear that the lack of consultation was the primary catalyst for the staff's disquiet. ...the new site at Backweston, which will accommodate laboratories for central meat control, veterinary, pesticides and seed control in addition to the State Laboratory and the dairy science laboratory {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); replacement character in |quote= at position 360 (help)

Aug 2001

"Stadium report to come in ahead of deadline". Irish Independent. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has already said he would have no difficulty in looking again at aspects of "scale" in the overall project, although it is believed he is personally anxious to retain an 80,000-seater stadium as the centrepiece of the complex {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

Oct 2001

"Tax slump will hit 'Bertie Bowl'". Irish Independent. Projects expected to feel the pinch include:
* Campus Ireland the so-called Bertie Bowl will be delayed, except for the aquadrome which is needed for the 2003 Special Olympics. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

Written Answers. - Sports Campus Ireland. Dáil Éireann debates (Volume 541 ed.). Dublin: Government of Ireland. 2001-10-04. pp. p.960–1. Retrieved 2007-12-13. 156. Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation the estimated cost of Sports Campus Ireland; the costs to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation (Dr. McDaid): Following a Government decision on 1 May 2001, independent consultants, High-Point Rendel, were engaged to undertake an overview of the cost of the Stadium and Sports Campus Ireland project. The steering group of senior officials overseeing the work hopes to have its final meeting with the consultants within the next seven days. It is envisaged that the report will be submitted to the Government later this month.
Until the steering group has submitted this independent report to me and I have submitted it to the Government for its consideration, I do not intend to make any statement on its contents. In the meantime, the most recent estimate available as to the cost of the project remains at £550 million as estimated by Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Limited. To date, £11,853,558 has been expended on the planning, preparation and development of the Sports Campus Ireland project, of which £2,878,151 was expended through the Vote of the Department of the Taoiseach and the balance from my Department's Vote to which responsibility for funding transferred with effect from 1 January 2001. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)

Nov 2001

High-Point Rendel (?? November 2001). "STADIUM AND SPORTS CAMPUS IRELAND Independent Overview Final Report" (PDF). Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. Retrieved 2007-12-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Dec 2001

Jim McDaid (2001-12-27). "End of Year Statement on Sport by Dr. James McDaid, T.D., Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation" (PDF). Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. Retrieved 2007-12-13. Sports Campus Ireland

The outline bid phase for the stadium and other sporting facilities at Sports Campus Ireland is still underway but no decision will be made until the Government has considered the report on the cost overview undertaken by independent consultants High-Point Rendel.

Development of an Aquatic Centre, incorporating a 50-metre swimming pool and other facilities is proceeding with the aim of having it completed in time for the Special Olympic World Summer Games in 2003. The Centre is to encompass: 50m swimming pool; 25m diving pool cum warm up/training waters; a major leisure water area; spectator facilities for national and international competition. The Pool at Abbotstown is intended to provide state of the art swimming facilities for our competitive swimmers and will be a major facility for families and the local communities.

March 2002

Michael McDowell (?? March 2002). "Report of the Attorney General on the Award of the Operator Contract for the Aquatic and Leisure Centre Campus Stadium Ireland Ltd" (PDF). Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. Retrieved 2007-12-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

2001/2002

Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism (??). "DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM, SPORT AND RECREATION - ANNUAL REPORT - 2001/2002". Retrieved 2007-12-13. STRATEGY 3

To facilitate the development of Campus and Stadium Ireland

(a) Cost Overview of Campus & Stadium Ireland

Public debate about the cost of the Campus and Stadium Ireland project at Abbotstown led to a Government Decision to seek an overview of the total cost of the project. The Department engaged consultants High-Point Rendel who completed their report at the end of 2001. The report assessed the estimated costs and revenues which would arise from the development of the project, identified options for the project including a rationalisation of certain facilities following consultation with the main utilising shareholders and recommended that more detailed planning and a strengthening of the management should take place. Following publication of the Overview, the Government re-iterated a continued commitment to the project and requested the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation to prepare a report on the implications of the options and recommendations of the Overview. Preparation of this report, including consultation with the main sporting organisations, is currently underway.

(b) Management of the Provision of the Pool at Abbotstown

The Government, having decided in July 2000 to proceed with the development of an Aquatic and Leisure Centre at the Stadium & Campus Ireland site in Abbotstown, in December 2000 authorised Campus and Stadium Ireland Ltd to sign Heads of Agreement with the preferred bidding consortium. The consortium, consisting of Rohcon Waterworld UK and Dublin Waterworld Ltd were selected under a public procurement process to develop the project following a DBFOM (design, build, finance, operate and maintain) strategy. Heads of Agreement were signed between CSID and the consortium on 22 February 2001 and work commenced in May 2001. It is intended that the Aquatic Centre will be available to host the swimming events of the Special Olympics World Summer Games in June 2003. The facilities will feature an international championships standard swimming pool and diving facilities designed for use by elite swimmers as well as the general public. Work is progressing in accordance with a timetable which targets construction of the pool to be completed by the end of 2002 and the facility to be available for the swimming events of the Special Olympics World Summer Games in June 2003.

(c) Establishment of a Statutory Based Authority to develop the SCI project.

In 2000 the Government agreed that organisational arrangements be put in place, and the necessary legislation be drawn up, for a Trust to own the Stadium and Campus, and for a development entity to drive the design and construction of the project.

In the interim a company was established under the Companies Acts, viz. Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Ltd. (CSID), to drive forward the planning and development of the project and a Board of Trustees was appointed in which the facilities would be vested once developed.

Having consulted with the Attorney General's Office about establishing a Trust to own the Stadium and Campus and whether this represents the best way of protecting the national interest and State investment, the Department was advised that the land and facilities would be best vested in a Statutory Body whose role is spelt out in legislation as against use of Trusteeship, which the AG's Office considers as being difficult to operate in practice.

The Government, in July 2001 approved the drafting of the Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Authority Bill on the basis of the General Scheme. The Scheme of the Bill has been prepared and provides for the creation of a new Statutory Authority to be known as the Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Authority This will put on a statutory basis the entity established to oversee the planning and development of the Campus and Sports Stadium complex. A Draftsman from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government is currently drafting the Bill.

The aim is to have the legislation published, through both Houses of the Oireachtas and on the Statute books by the end of 2002.

...

On foot of the Government decision to provide a stadium and campus facilities at a State owned site at Abbotstown, Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Ltd., a company established to deliver this project, developed an overall plan for the project and commenced a public procurement process for the stadium and other sporting facilities. In June 2001, five consortia had been accepted, on the basis of an outline bid, to participate in the bidding process for the provision of these facilities on the basis of a DBFOM (design, build, finance, operate and maintain) strategy. However the procurement process was put on hold pending the completion of a Government approved cost overview of the project and of a related Government decision.
This Overview, carried out by consultants High-Point Rendel, was completed at the end of 2001 and in addition to projecting the cost of the Stadium and Campus project made a number of far reaching recommendations concerning the project and its implementation. The Government requested the Minister for Tourism Sport and Recreation to examine the options and recommendations of the Overview and to report back to Government. The report to Government is currently in preparation. At the same time, construction work on the National Aquatic and Leisure Centre at Abbotstown, commenced in May 2001, and significant progress has been made during the year under review. The work is on schedule to have facilities completed by December 2002. The Pool at Abbotstown, which represents an Exchequer investment of over €62 million, is therefore well on target to be available for the Special Olympics World Summer Games in June 2003. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

McDonnell, Daniel (2007-11-06). "Bureaucratic wrangling and inherent politicking scupper plans and leave FAI blazers with the home they deserve". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2007-11-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Eircom Park was planned as a 45,000-seater stadium in Citywest with a cost of 65 million punts but, from the outset, there was opposition within the FAI to the project which was regarded as the baby of then chief executive Bernard O'Byrne.
In the background, the-then relatively new Fianna Fail government were watching proceedings with interest as their own brainchild was the Sports Campus Ireland in Abbotstown or, as it widely became known in an eponymous tribute to the Taoiseach, the 'Bertie Bowl'.
Ahern himself presented his feasibility study for the Abbotstown stadium in January of 2000 with an open invitation to the FAI as tenants but O'Byrne -- backed by the board of management -- insists that they should go their way with eircom Park.
Alas, the project hit the rocks due to a variety of problems. Planning problems and costing issues meant that the completion date was pushed back from 2001 to 2003.
Doubts
And doubts were being raised about the possibility of staging 57 non-sporting events a year at the stadium which was central to its evolution.
More pertinently, dissent within the FAI was growing rapidly. Then treasurer Brendan Menton, backed strongly by John Delaney, queried the rising costs and even threatened legal action against the association due to his claims that he wasn't being kept in the loop with regard to updates.
Financially, the government were dangling carrots on a regular basis, with offers made to the League of Ireland clubs in return for opposing the eircom Park project. In early 2001, as O'Byrne's tenure became increasingly unstable, the government announced a €45m deal for Irish soccer if the FAI abandoned their plans for their own stadium and weighed in with the Bertie Bowl.
With concerns about finance a central tenet for every level of football in the country, it was an offer that was deemed too good to refuse.
Particularly as it emerged that the eircom Park project needed to find a significant investor if it was to proceed.
Opponents, such as Menton and Delaney, argued that the FAI faced a sustained period of virtual bankruptcy if they stuck with the Eircom Park project.
Eventually, the FAI voted to abandon eircom Park with O'Byrne relinquishing his post after admitting to 'inadvertent mis-allocations' of personal expenses on an FAI credit card.
The stage, it seemed, was set for the Bertie Bowl to gain momentum but that never happened. While the FAI stumbled from one coup d'etat to the next, the Abbotstown proposal could never quite get off the ground.
By late 2002, the prospect of public funds being used to build the Bertie Bowl and reward Irish soccer for ditching eircom Park had evaporated with Fianna Fail's coalition partners the Progressive Democrats -- led by Mary Harney -- key figures in the anti-Abbotstown campaign.
Ireland's hopes of joint-hosting the 2008 European Championships with Scotland were embarrassingly ended amid the chaos.

31/01/2002

Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism (2002-01-31). "Background Note on Stadium and Sports Campus Ireland". Retrieved 2007-12-13. The Government, on 25 January 2000 decided to proceed with the development of a National Stadium at Abbotstown and to develop it as the centrepiece of a campus of sporting excellence providing facilities for a wide range of sports, including sports medicine and headquarters facilities for sporting bodies. This was decided on the basis of a feasibility study, which had been prepared by consultants, led by Pricewaterhouse Coopers. The estimated total cost (excluding a sinking fund for ongoing renewal of the fabric) was estimated at £281m at 1999 prices.

A company, Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Ltd, was established following a further Government decision of 22 February 2000, to develop the project and it, in turn, following a public tender, contracted with an Executive Services Team led by Magahy & Company and comprising Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Wilson Hartnell, Public Relations, Mc Hugh Planning Consultants, SIAS Transport Consultants and Ronnie Delany.

CSID subsequently organised a number of public competitions to procure different aspects of the development of the project, namely, Project Management: Davis LangdonEverest/PKS, KSS Hoare Lea and Partners, and Jan Bobrowski and Partners;
Architectural and Environmental Framework Team: Behnisch, Behnisch and Partners, architects and Buro Happold, International engineers.

The Government, on 19 December, 2000, decided that an aquatic centre should be developed on the Abbotstown site and that it should be completed in time for use during the Special Olympics World Summer Games in 2003. Following a public competition, a consortium comprising Rohcon, Waterworld U.K and Dublin Waterworld Ltd, were selected by CSID and the Government, on 23 January 2002 approved the signing of the contract with the winning consortium. Work on the site had commenced in May 2001.

As the Stadium and Campus project advanced, concern at the potential overall cost of completion was a matter of public comment. In order to assist it in determining final exchequer allocations for Stadium and Sports Campus Ireland, the Government, on 1 May 2001, decided to conduct an overview study of the likely costs arising and to review the overall approach and contracting strategy with regard to risk identification, management processes and structures, timing and overall cost effectiveness. A Steering Group was established, under the chairmanship of the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation and following a public competition, High Point Rendel Ltd. were appointed to conduct the overview study. The consultants finalised their report in November 2001.

The report examined the likely costs arising under a number of headings. In particular, it considered the extent to which the relocation of facilities currently at Abbotstown should properly be allocated to the cost of the Sports Campus. The conclusion was that these costs would have arisen in any event and should not be so reckoned. They also considered the cost of access infrastructure for public and private transport to the proposed campus. Their conclusion validated the CSID estimates that the marginal cost of such access, over and above what was planned for that area of the city in any event, was of the order of £22m.

With regard to the direct costs of developing the stadium and campus, the consultants acknowledged the substantial progress which had been made in a relatively short period of time in procuring the project. In reaching their conclusions, the consultants had access to the evaluation by CSID Ltd of the outline bids, which had been received from a number of developers. In the light of their examination of that assessment and their review of the project overall, the consultants expressed a number of concerns about the approach to completion of the project.

Firstly, they questioned whether the procurement model - of design, build, finance operate and maintain - which had been selected was appropriate given the relatively modest level of private funding which would be likely to be put up by the developers.
This in turn reflected the relatively modest financial return which would accrue from the operation of the facility. They considered that the complexities arising from the procurement model being pursued could give rise to delay. In particular, the absence of a very clear development brief which had the support of all stakeholders, irrespective of the form of procurement, could jeopardise the successful completion of the procurement process, leading to delays and the potential for significantly increased costs.

Secondly, while acknowledging the considerable expertise and progress to date by the company and its Executive Services Team, the consultants expressed the view that the CSID team needs to be strengthened to create a well-rounded in-house management team with experience of projects of this size, complexity and challenge. This they regarded as particularly significant in the context of finalisation of the design of aspects of the stadium and related facilities.

Thirdly, with regard to the cost estimates for the project itself the consultants validated the CSID estimates for the individual elements of the project on the basis of the current specifications by CSID, as being of the order of £360m. However, they reported that the total costs of the project could be significantly higher as a result of the impact of two additional factors, namely inflation over the life of the project and contingencies to be provided in the event of unforeseen difficulties or delays, in particular arising from the procurement method and the implications of the design finally adopted for the Stadium.

Feb 2002

"Taoiseach says "Bertie Bowl" dream still alive". Dublin: RTÉ News. 2002-02-01. The Taoiseach says that his dream of a stadium at Abbotstown is still alive and that a 65,000-seater stadium will be built. Bertie Ahern admitted that the go-ahead was most unlikely to be given during the lifetime of this government, given all the work that has to be done following the independent consultants' report.
In a related development, RTÉ News has been told that people associated with the Campus and Stadium Ireland Project are furious at what they see as completely inaccurate interpretations in the consultants' report. They also claim that there are many "patently wrong" elements contained in the report itself.
The two coalition partners reached an accommodation last night on moving the Campus and Stadium Ireland Project forward by developing a scaled-down approach. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

March 2002

"Teahon relieved of Sports Campus Ireland posts". 2002-03-26. Paddy Teahon has been relieved of his role as CEO and chairman of Sports Campus Ireland. Mr Teahon has not yet given his reaction to the move, which follows the furore over the awarding of the aquatic centre contract to a holding company with few assets. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

McMahon, Stephen (2002-03-31). "Hissing nest of rivalries exposed". Sunday Business Post. Dublin. The breakdown in the relationship between the executive of Campus and Stadium Ireland Development (CSID) and senior figures in the Office of Public Works (OPW), proved hugely damaging ... The OPW wrote to the attorney general "strongly contesting" assertions by CSID that it had been made aware of the shortcomings of Waterworld (UK). ...a potential "conflict of interest" for Teahon in his position as executive chairman and as a member of the assessment panel judging the bids. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

April 2002

Brennock, Mark (April 30, 2002). "McDowell derides stadium as 'Ceausescu-era project'". The Irish Times. Dublin. The Attorney General has derided the Taoiseach's pet project, Campus and Stadium Ireland, as a "Ceausescu-era Olympic project" that must be opposed as a matter of basic political morality.
But he did not rule out another stadium at a different location. "I'm not ruling out any hypothetical project for the future", he said. "But the palace of sport with the 80,000-seater stadium is out."
At the PD manifesto launch last week, Ms Harney also did not rule out all future stadium proposals.
The way remains still open for any Fianna Fáil-led coalition to agree to a scaled down stadium project. At the weekend, Fianna Fáil's only other possible coalition partner, Labour, also said that while it opposed the Abbotstown project it would consider some other more modest proposal. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

Murphy, Piaras (2002-04-04). "Magahy denies Teahon friendship led to contract". Dublin: The Irish Times. The Chief executive of Magahy and Company, Ms Laura Magahy, said today her friendship with Mr Paddy Teahon, the former executive chairman of Campus Stadium Ireland Development Ltd (CSID), had nothing to do with her being awarded the executive services contract for CSID. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

May 2002

"Bertie Bowl back on the Election agenda". 2002-05-03. The FAI and IRFU say neither organisation can afford to build a stadium privately and say expert advice says a re-developed Lansdowne Road is not practical. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

Sep 2002

"Government abandons Bertie Bowl". 2002-09-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

Fraser, Douglas (2002-09-15). "Soiling theperfect pitch". The Sunday Herald. Ahern has a developer pal who has offered a cool (pounds) 50m as an outright gift to the stadium project. But in Ireland it is a fiasco treated with more humorous derision than outrage. The Bertie Bowl is already taking its place alongside other grandiose plans that failed {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

McDonald, Henry (September 15 2002). "Crisis over Stadium: Bertie Bowl fiasco will hit bid for Euro 2008: Ireland puts result of referendum on Nice Treaty in jeopardy". The Observer. London. Giant billboards have been strategically placed around central Dublin associating the beer that says it's probably the best in the world with the Irish soccer team's campaign to reach the Euro 2004 championships.

Alongside manager Mick McCarthy is one of the city's distinctive double-decker buses with the number and destination on the front: '04-Lisbon', - the main host city for the football tournament in two years' time.

Last week wags in Dublin were quipping that the posters should show an ad for the Euro 2008 competition with 'Cancelled' on the front of the bus.

They were referring to the collapse of the Irish government's plan to build a 65,000 all-seater stadium on Dublin's western outskirts; a fiasco that has left Ireland and Scotland's plans jointly to host Euro 2008 in serious doubt. Stadium Ireland has become Bertie Ahern's Millennium Dome.

The aborted projected has cost the Irish taxpayer half a billion euros (£315 million). With the Celtic Tiger's economy in decline and severe cutbacks due in public spending, Ahern's Fianna Fail/ Progressive Democrat centre-right coalition had no choice but to pull the plug - even though no single brick has been laid.

Pat Rabbitte, the Labour TD (MP) for Dublin West, is the inventor of the phrase Bertie Bowl - the label that has stuck to the taoiseach's pet proposal since it was first conceived three years ago.

'The government has misled the Football Association of Ireland and the Scottish Football Association,' said Rabitte. 'It has damaged the image of our country and made a laughing stock out of us. Bertie Ahern thought that Stadium Ireland would be a monument to his memory, it has instead turned out to be a personal disaster for him.'

Irish football fans, who are already in revolt over a television deal between Rupert Murdoch and the FAI, are furious about the stadium debacle.

Mick Nugent, who helped to set up protest group Ireland Fans United this summer, said: 'The FAI are also at fault here. They were initially going to build a cheaper stadium called Eircom Park in west Dublin. But elements of the FAI allowed themselves to be swayed by Bertie Ahern and opted to go with Stadium Ireland instead. And some in the FAI received millions of euros in consultancy fees from the Ahern project.'

Privately, senior members of Ahern's party, Fianna Fail, have told The Observer that the Bertie Bowl fiasco, combined with the cuts in health and education (cuts the taoiseach denied would have to be made during the June general election campaign), could lead to a defeat in Ireland's referendum on approving the Nice Treaty on European Union expansion. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

Dec 2002

"Sporting life in Bertie's Ireland". The Observer. London. 'Sports loving' is how his official spokesperson refers to him, but 'sports mad' is the opposition's sardonic description. Ahern's eager courting of sports personalities and events, such as last week's Collins Cup tennis tournament in Dublin, doesn't appear to have any real basis in vote catching. The public response to proposals to host Euro 2008 has at best been lukewarm. But then his critics argue that Ahern doesn't take a great deal of notice of his electorate when pursuing his sporting interests.

At present the ground that Ahern has promised to himself and the Irish public for the past six years is just a pipe dream and threatens to remain so. Still, a site on the outskirts of Dublin has been selected and plans for the €1 billion (£620 million) complex drawn up.

With his government's coalition partners refusing to free up any funds for the project, racing magnate J.P. McManus, Celtic tycoon Dermot Desmond and his business partner Magnier are among those who have reportedly been approached to invest.

Fraser, Douglas (2002-12-15). "The blame game ...; Our European football ambitions have come". Sunday Herald. But because sports-mad Taoiseach Bertie Ahern wanted a new Stadium Ireland, dubbed Bertie's Bowl, he had put large grants the GAA's way on the understanding it would not offer to stage football and rugby, which would undermine such plans.
However, having promised two stadiums in Ireland, Ahern found himself reversing his previous position this year, leaning counter-productively on the GAA to change its mind and let Uefa in.
And with government funding of Bertie's Bowl falling foul of coalition politics amid a budget crisis, the taoiseach was forced to turn over prime development land to the country's builders in return for his dream going bowl-shaped.
It was only earlier this week, with another of those last-minute deals typical of Irish politics, that the private sector signed up to the stadium plan, the timing drawing more attention to the plan's seat-of-the-pants uncertainty than to its potential. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Oct 2003

Ceisteanna – Questions (Resumed). - National Stadium. Dáil Éireann debates (Volume 572 ed.). Dublin: Government of Ireland. 08 October 2003. pp. pp55–6. Retrieved 2007-12-13. At my request, the IRFU and the FAI, supported by Arup consultants, set out their prioritised proposals for stadium development in which they considered five locations, including Lansdowne Road, Newlands Cross and Abbotstown, This report has been subjected to detailed examination by the Office of Public Works,

I received the Office of Public Works report in the middle of September and I am now reflecting The FAI has expressed great concern on the basis that it has been informed by FIFA that it is not a tenable situation in the longer term to have temporary seating placed in Lansdowne Road.

As regards the involvement of the private sector, the 23 expressions of interest which arrived in on the last occasion were, for the most part, unsatisfactory. Unacceptable conditions were attached to some of the general expressions of interest.

The suggestion that the actions of the Government have resulted in the sidelining of any organisation is complete nonsense. That simply did not happen – quite the opposite.

Mr. Allen: Does he agree that the Taoiseach's intervention on the eve of the GAA's vote on Croke Park was gross interference and denied the organisation the opportunity of opening Croke Park? The torpedoing of the FAI project and fracturing of the structures within the FAI was the result of gross interference by the Government and the sidelining of the IRFU was an example of interference with that association.

Mr. O'Donoghue: From June 2000 to September 2003, €85 million has been spent by the Exchequer on the Sports Campus Ireland project. Of this amount, €71 million was spent on the construction of the National Aquatic Centre and €11 on administrative and ongoing costs of CSID, most of which relate to the National Aquatic Centre, including executive services, project management, consultancy costs and VAT payments, although some of the VAT payment may be recouped. The balance of €3 million relates to planning and site survey work in preparation and development of the campus site. A total of €8.4 million was provided in 2003 for the completion of the National Aquatic Centre, to cover both capital and current costs.

I am not aware of any interference with the GAA, the FAI or the IRFU.

All I know is that the question of a national stadium was first put on the agenda by the Taoiseach because he supports the idea of having one. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)

Dec2003

Written Answers. - National Stadium. Dáil Éireann debates (Volume 577 ed.). Dublin: Government of Ireland. 2003-12-16. pp. p.???. Retrieved 2007-12-13. 397. Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if the total cost of consultants' reports to date regarding the provision of a national stadium have amounted to €18 million; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism (Mr. O'Donoghue): I wish to correct the very misleading impression conveyed in the Deputy's question that expenditure of such magnitude has been involved in relation to the national stadium. In fact, the total expenditure on consultants' reports to date has been €883,700, which was made up of an expenditure of €492,700 on the feasibility study – A Stadium for the New Century – commissioned in 1998 and €391,000 in 2001 for the High-Point Rendel report. In addition a sum of about €3 million has been spent on planning, site survey work, preparation and development of the whole campus site at Abbotstown, including the site for the national aquatic centre.

398. Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if among the expressions of interest which he received from the private sector there was an inclusion of a proposal to provide a national stadium free of charge for the Government if the necessary infrastructure was put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism (Mr. O'Donoghue): In September 2002 the Government sought expressions of interest from the private sector for the provision of an all seater stadium, with a capacity of at least 65,000 spectators, which would become the venue for major field games. Among the 23 expressions of interest received in October 2002 was a proposal from a consortium which outlined a turnkey proposal for the construction and operation of a stadium and arena at Abbotstown specifically for football and rugby use on the basis that a serviced site with the necessary transport infrastructure would be provided. However, no detailed financial proposals were provided.

The expression of interest initiative was intended to assist the Government in establishing what potential, if any, existed in the private sector for investment in a stadium. The information gathered as a result of this initiative will inform the Minister's recommendation to Government when he puts forward options to the Government early next year on meeting stadium needs. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Feb 2004

Priority Questions. - National Stadium. Dáil Éireann debates (Volume 580 ed.). Dublin: Government of Ireland. 2004-02-15. pp. p.???. Retrieved 2007-12-13. Mr. O'Donoghue:Proposals for meeting the stadium needs of our rugby and soccer teams have been the subject of discussion in the House over a long period. I indicated that it was my intention to bring proposals to Government to deal with the matter. Accordingly, last month I brought two options to Government to deal with the current deficit in modern stadium facilities in Dublin. These were the development of a stadium at Abbotstown or the redevelopment of Lansdowne Road stadium. The Government decided to approve the proposal to support a joint Football Association of Ireland-Irish Rugby Football Union project to redevelop Lansdowne Road as a 50,000 all-seated state-of-the-art stadium.

In this context the Government approved the provision of funding of €191 million towards the project, which is estimated to cost €292 million, with the balance being provided by the two sporting organisations. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Oct 2004

Other Questions. - Proposed Legislation. Dáil Éireann debates (Volume 590 ed.). Dublin: Government of Ireland. 2004-10-20. pp. p.???. Retrieved 2007-12-13. when a decision was made to construct a stadium at Lansdowne Road it was also decided that the campus at Abbotstown would proceed on a phased basis. In that respect, I spoke with Campus Stadium Ireland and asked it to draw up a priority list of what it considered should be located at Abbotstown and cost its proposals. I hope it will be possible to proceed with the first phase of the sports campus at Abbotstown in the not too distant future.

that minority sports could be assisted through the development of the sports campus at Abbotstown and that they should be catered for.

With regard to the indoor arena to which the Deputy referred, this may be a candidate for a public private partnership and there is a strong possibility it will be commercially viable.

I anticipate that in addition to providing sporting facilities on the campus, the plan will envisage medical and other facilities which may well include accommodation. I cannot be definitive on this matter other than to note that Campus Stadium Ireland was asked to consider all the options and requirements and to prioritise and cost them. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

July 2005

Ruddock, Alan (July 3 2005). "Aquatic centre shows why we must sink this government". The Sunday Times. In case you've missed the drama, the aquatic centre cost twice the original budget to build; the roof blew off in January; it leaks "like a sieve"; experts now worry that those leaks could cause the building to subside; the management company is in court fighting with the state agency that owns the centre amid allegations of unpaid Vat and rent arrears; and a report prepared in 2002 by Michael McDowell, then the attorney-general and now minister for justice, highlighted a series of failures by the state agency run by Laura Magahy. Among other things, it allowed the contract to build and run the pool to be awarded to a consortium that misrepresented itself, leaving the state open to legal cases.
The time frame was tight because the government wanted the new pool to be ready for the Special Olympics that were coming to Dublin in the summer of 2003. the court battle between Campus Stadium Ireland Development (CSID), the state agency that owns the NAC on our behalf, and Dublin Waterworld, its operators, also could cost the public more money
There was no political price for the shambles that has continued to unfold, and no retribution meted out in the Office of Public Works, which shared responsibility for overseeing the development, nor in the taoiseach's office, nor in the department of sport. Magahy, hired to manage the project, collected her substantial fees and continued seamlessly in government employment, overseeing the Dublin Digital Hub, another Ahern-inspired and costly white elephant, also placed under Teahon's command. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Oct 2005

Sport and Recreational Development. Seanad Éireann debates (Volume 181 ed.). Dublin: Government of Ireland. 2005-10-06. pp. p.313–4. Retrieved 2007-12-13. As Senators are aware, the Government decided in 2004 to proceed with the phased development, as financial resources permit, of a sports campus on the State-owned lands at Abbotstown. Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Limited, CSID, was requested to put forward proposals. With the assistance of project managers Davis Langdon PKS and sports consultants Holohan Group, CSID prepared a development control plan. Wide-ranging consultations took place with the Irish Sports Council, the Olympic Council of Ireland, the major governing bodies of sport and other key stakeholders and interest groups, to identify the requirements for facilities. Meetings also took place between [314] CSID and Fingal County Council, which was completing its county development plan for 2005 to 2011.

During the consultation process it became clear that there is need to develop, at national level, top class sports facilities to cater, in a dedicated way, for elite professional and amateur sports people. At the same time, there is a need to provide a wide range of facilities which would be available to the national governing bodies of sport and to the local community for individual and community related sports. On that basis, a proposal was prepared, as phase one of the programme, which would provide pitches and facilities for the three major field sports rugby, soccer and Gaelic games, including shared core facilities such as accommodation and a gymnasium. This phase also includes indoor sports halls to cater for a range of indoor sports with spectator accommodation and publicly accessible all-weather floodlit synthetic pitches. Over 30 sports can be accommodated in the proposed indoor sports centre, including hockey, hurling, tennis, gymnastics, badminton, basketball, martial arts, bowls and boxing. It has been estimated that this first phase of the programme will cost €119 million — although one is always wary of giving hostages to fortune by providing specific figures — and has a four to five year delivery schedule.

Other developments, including an arena and headquarters for major governing bodies of sport have been left for consideration in future phases of the development. A number of buildings remain on the site at Abbotstown, which have been surveyed and can be cost-effectively refurbished and developed for alternative use. When the campus project proceeds, as it will, consideration can be given to the use of these buildings as headquarters for national sports organisations.

The Minister has received the development control plan for the sports campus at Abbotstown from CSID. The Government had an initial discussion on the proposals last month. The allocation of the necessary funding to enable the project to get underway will be considered in the context of the multi-annual capital envelope for the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, which will be agreed prior to the budget. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)

May 2006

Barrington, Kathleen (November 26 2006). "CSID pursues €10.2m Vat claim against Waterworld". Sunday Business Post. Earlier this month, a lawyer representing the state-owned Campus Stadium Ireland, which developed the National Aquatic Centre, told the Supreme Court that the centre was in the possession of someone we say it oughtn't to be. That someone is multimillionaire Limerick businessman Pat Mulcair.
It has emerged in court proceedings that Mulcair is in possession of the centre, which was built at a cost of €62 million to the taxpayer. It has also emerged that Mulcair is benefiting from tax breaks of €2.8 million a year, and worth €34 million over the lifetime of the lease, even though the centre was financed by the state.
The position of the current management of the state-owned Campus Stadium Ireland, under chief executive Donagh Morgan, is that they don't have a clue how Mulcair came into possession of the centre and they are now trying to get it back. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

5 July 2006

NATIONAL SPORTS CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY ACT 2006 (PDF). Acts of the Oireachtas. Dublin: Government of Ireland. ???? 2006. Retrieved 2007-12-13. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Autumn 2006

Irish Sports Council (Autumn 2006). "Birth of Irish Institute of Sport". Retrieved 2007-12-13. In the medium term the IIS will integrate with the development of a national sports campus at Abbotstown and with the national governing bodies of sport which occupy it, to intensify the levels of support provided to potential Olympic and Paralympic athletes for the London 2012 Games.

E. Sports medicine support
A custom-built rehabilitation centre, providing a conducive environment catering for the intensive post-operative recuperation of athletes with serious or recurring injuries, will be established at the Abbotstown campus.

Dec 2006

Barrington, Kathleen (November 26 2006). "CSID pursues €10.2m Vat claim against Waterworld". Sunday Business Post. Campus Stadium Ireland Development (CSID), the state company that owns the €62 million National Aquatic Centre, is still pursuing its €10.2 million Vat claim against Dublin Waterworld, the centre's original operator. Dublin Waterworld withdrew its appeal against a separate High Court decision ordering it to hand possession of the centre to CSID, paving the way for handing back the centre to the state body. The company is handing the centre back to the state on Friday. In that case, the High Court had ruled that CSID was entitled to an order for possession of the centre because of wilful breaches of the lease by Dublin Waterworld and Limerick businessman Pat Mulcair, including failure to pay rent and Vat. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Jan 2007

"Minister addresses first board meeting of National Sports Campus Development Authority" (Press release). Irish Sports Council. January 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-13. The recently established National Sports Campus Development Authority will begin assembling its team to deliver the €120 million Phase I of the National Sports Campus project before the end of January. Over the next week advertisements will be placed in the European Journal for both design and project management, the two key components of the team needed to deliver the project. The intention is to lodge for planning permission in early 2008.

Spring 2007

Irish Sports Council (Spring 2007). "???". ISC newsletter. Dublin. Retrieved 2007-12-13. The National Sports Campus Development Authority came into being as a state agency from January 1. On behalf of the Council I want to wish our colleagues at the Campus every success. With the Irish Institute of Sport, soon to be located at Abbotstown, and Coaching Ireland, beginning their new work the structure of Irish sport is becoming clear and more robust.

May 2007

"O'Leary welcomes FF commitment to Sports Campus Ireland" (Press release). Fianna Fáil. ??? 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-13. Former GAA star and Dublin North Fianna Fáil Dáil candidate John O'Leary has today received a positive reply from a letter he wrote to the Taoiseach asking him to include the further development of the Sports Campus Ireland in the party Manifesto. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

National Sports Campus Development Authority Official website