Carlisle Grounds

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Carlisle Grounds
Carlisle Stand.jpg
Carlisle Grounds
Public transit Bray Daly railway station
Capacity 3,200 [1]
Field size113 x 70 yards
Construction
Built1862
Tenants
Bray Wanderers A.F.C.
Ireland national rugby league team (2015–present)

The Carlisle Grounds is a football stadium in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. Situated directly behind Bray DART station, it is home to Bray Wanderers A.F.C.

Contents

History

The Carlisle Grounds can claim to be the Football Association of Ireland ground with the longest history as a sports venue.[ citation needed ] Opened in 1862 as the Bray Athletic Ground, it was renamed the Carlisle Cricket and Archery Ground later that year, in honour of the 7th Earl of Carlisle who performed the opening ceremony as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Later it was shortened to the Carlisle Grounds.

A new stand seating 985 was constructed in 2006 bringing the seating capacity of the ground up to about 2,000. The League of Ireland side Transport F.C. played at the Carlisle Grounds from 1948-1951 before moving to Harold's Cross Stadium. In July 2009 a section of the wall around the pitch collapsed after Shamrock Rovers fans rushed down to the wall to celebrate a goal. [2] The following year another section of the wall fell as a result of fans rushing forward, this time while hosting their league promotion playoff against Monaghan United, prompting an FAI investigation. [3] The Carlisle Grounds hosted a 2011 UEFA Regions' Cup match. The Carlisle Grounds also hosted two matches in the 2015 UEFA Regions' Cup.

Rugby league

Ireland played against Belgium in an international rugby league friendly on Sunday 12 July 2015 winning the match 34–0. [4] 7 November 2015 saw the Carlisle Grounds host the match between Ireland and Wales as part of the 2015 Rugby League European Championship. [5]

International Rugby League Matches
DateHomeScoreOpponentCompetitionAttendance
12 July 2015Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 34–0Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium Test match [6]
7 November 2015Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 4–30Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales 2015 European Championship1,405 [5]
8 October 2016Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 58–10Flag of Malta.svg  Malta Test Match [7]
16 October 2016Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 16–68Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica Test Match [8]
30 October 2016Four Provinces Flag.svg  Ireland 70–16Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 2017 RLWC qualifying 867 [9]

The Carlisle Grounds was used in the filming of the Bloody Sunday scene in the 1996 film Michael Collins .[ citation needed ] The ground was also used as a filming location for the music video of singer Dermot Kennedy's single "Outnumbered".[ citation needed ]

Proposed redevelopment

In October 2009, details were released of a proposed largescale redevelopment of the ground. [10] If completed as planned, the proposal would have involved a new stadium being built on the site as well as a major retailer moving in. A model of the proposed redevelopment was displayed on the club's website around this time. [11] [ needs update ]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ "Bray Wanderers: 'There's no plan to move from our stadium, but it has to be fixed'". the42. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  2. ↑ [ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ DAIRE WALSH (9 November 2010). "Bray Wanderers 1–1 Monaghan United (7-6 on penalties)". Extratime.com. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  4. ↑ "Bray Wanderers 1–1 Monaghan United (7-6 on penalties)". ExtraTime.com. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Ireland vs. Wales". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  6. ↑ "Ireland vs. Belgium". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "Ireland vs. Malta". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "Ireland vs. Jamaica". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  9. ↑ "Round 2". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  10. ↑ "Seagulls soar with €5m plan". Bray People. 16 September 2009.
  11. ↑ "braywanderers.ie". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2009.