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Irish Premier Division football team Bohemian FC has been granted planning approval to redevelop its Dalymount Park stadium.
The project will include new stands to the east and west side of the stadium with provision for around 6,240 seats and two new terraces to the north and south with provision for around 1,794 standing capacity, bringing the total capacity of the stadium to 8,034.
The redevelopment will also include reorientation of the pitch to a north/south axis and installation of a new sand-based grass pitch, as well as a new bar, club offices and merchandise store.
Other elements of the project include a public thoroughfare along the eastern boundary connecting North Circular Road and Connaught Street to include various eateries and a new public plaza. A community facility and new modern match-day facilities for teams and officials will also be incorporated.
Bohemians said the planning approval marks the penultimate step in a “long and complex process” the club has been engaged in since 2011, when the stadium’s future was uncertain.
In May 2022, the club and Dublin City Council (DCC) rejected reports that the transformation project for Dalymount Park would be scaled back amid concerns over rising costs. The council signed off on plans to redevelop Dalymount Park back in October 2018.
Last summer, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) earmarked a total of €863m (£736m/$924m) in spending, which would be put towards League of Ireland stadiums and facilities, grassroots facilities and the development of an elite national training centre.
The Dalymount Park project was included in calculations for the early phase of the FAI’s ‘Facility Investment Vision and Strategy for Irish Football’. Bohemians sold the venue to DCC in November 2015.
Bohemians’ chief operating officer Daniel Lambert said: “Dalymount Park has hosted thousands of football games, enjoyed by millions of supporters, continuously since 1901, while also being an integral part of the general sporting, cultural and societal fabric of Dublin City.
“It has, however, long passed its capability to provide an appropriate, safe and modern facility for football and community use. Despite this Dalymount Park remains sold-out every Friday, a testament to the strength of our club in its community.
“We have engaged extensively with DCC since their acquisition of the stadium in 2015 and thank them for their considerable efforts to get us to this point. We would also like to put on record our gratitude to various ministers for their engagement with the club over the years, in particular the strong support of Minister Paschal Donohoe, and also the cross-party support and engagement of many local TDs and councillors throughout the process.
“With planning now, we call on the government to ensure that the appropriate funding mechanism is in place to enable progression to the construction phase. As we have seen across capital projects with levels of inflation, any delays to the process can cause significant complications and ultimately added cost to the exchequer.”
Jonathan Hill, chief executive of the FAI, added: “This is great news, and we thank and congratulate both Dublin City Council and Bohemian FC for all they have done to get us to this point.
“This is an exciting step forward in our wider Facility Vision, and we will look to replicate what’s been achieved here across other LOI clubs where a similar transformation of facilities, for players, fans and our media partners will enable us to change the face of Irish club football moving forward.”
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