Healy Park

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O'Neills Healy Park
Páirc Uí hEilí [1]
United Kingdom Northern Ireland adm location map.svg
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O'Neills Healy Park
Location within Northern Ireland
Address Omagh, County Tyrone BT79 7HX
LocationNorthern Ireland
Coordinates 54°36′50″N7°17′46″W / 54.61389°N 7.29611°W / 54.61389; -7.29611
Public transitOmagh Ulsterbus depot
Owner Omagh St. Enda's
Capacity 17,636 [2]
Field size147 m × 88 m (482 ft × 289 ft)
Construction
Opened1972
Renovated2001
Construction cost €2 million (2001 renovation)
Tenants
Tyrone county football team

Healy Park (known as O'Neills Healy Park for sponsorship reasons [3] ) is a GAA stadium in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland and is named after a GAA clubman from Omagh, Michael Healy. [4]

Contents

Healy Park is the home ground of Omagh St. Enda's and the Tyrone county football team. [5]

The stadium is located on the Gortin Road, approximately a 10-minute walk from the town centre. [6] It is one of the largest stadiums in Northern Ireland with a ticketed capacity of approximately 17,636. [2]

History

In early 1962, Omagh St. Enda's club purchased 13 acres (5.3 ha) of land for £1,300 at Lisanelly located near the Gortin Road. [7] By 1968 the club had raised enough money to start construction of the new stadium. Work began in the middle of 1968 with the clearance of ten feet of soil and bog and its replacement with tens of thousands of tons of gravel, stones and topsoil, coupled with an elaborate drainage system. The field was sown early in 1969 and fenced a few months later. [7]

The ground known then as New Park was opened on 17 September 1972 by then GAA President Alf Murray. On 19 October 1980, the new park was renamed to Healy Park in memory of Michael Healy. The two years between 1980 and 1982 saw the fruition of the new clubrooms and social centre at Healy Park, which added further to the infrastructure of Healy Park. 1994 saw the terracing added to three sides of the pitch. [8]

Work began in September 2001 to build a new all-seated covered stand with a capacity of 5,000. The stand was opened in 2004. [9]

In April 2006, Healy Park became the first Gaelic football stadium in Ulster to have floodlighting installed. [10]

In December 2006, Tyrone GAA unveiled plans for a £5 million redevelopment scheme. Included in the plans were a second covered stand, a new control tower, press box, the installation of a lift in the stand, and new changing and referee's room. They also planned to expand the ends behind both goals. [9]

Construction of the Press Box and Control Tower was completed in October 2007 with new changing rooms and disabled facilities also having been installed. [11] However, the plan to construct the second covered stand at Healy Park has yet to materalise.

In January 2020, Tyrone GAA announced a pitch refurbishment project costing upwards of £1 million for Healy Park. This project was to begin in May 2020 and would have resulted in the closure of the stadium for a year. [12] However, this project failed to materlise due to the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September 2023, Tyrone GAA unveiled a new £280,000 floodlighting system for Healy Park in a Tyrone Senior Football Championship meeting between Errigal Ciaran and Killyclogher. This major upgrade involved an energy-efficient LED system replacing the existing halogen lamps. [13]

Healy Park seen from the Rylagh Road Healy Park, Gortin Road, Omagh - geograph.org.uk - 1180946.jpg
Healy Park seen from the Rylagh Road
Healy Park club house Healy Park, Omagh - geograph.org.uk - 510084.jpg
Healy Park club house
Healy Park Entrance Healy Park, Omagh - geograph.org.uk - 508843.jpg
Healy Park Entrance

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "No changing of the guard as football returns". RTÉ. 17 May 2021. See third photograph.
  2. 1 2 "Rated and slated: All 32 GAA county grounds assessed – but how does yours measure up?". Irish Independent. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  3. ↑ Devlin, Michael (18 May 2021). "O'Neill's in major renaming deal for Tyrone GAA stadium". We Are Tyrone. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "Omagh St. Enda's | Naomh Éanna an Ómaigh CLG".
  5. ↑ "Healy Park". Stadium Database. Archived from the original on 7 July 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  6. ↑ "Locational Map -". Archived from the original on 15 March 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
  7. 1 2 Kelleher, Humphrey (2023). A Place to Play. Merrion Press. pp. 252–253. ISBN   9781785374807.
  8. ↑ Omagh St. Endas Club History (published 1982)
  9. 1 2 "Healy Park to get a second stand". BBC Sport. 20 December 2006.
  10. ↑ "Tyrone unveil stand plans". Hogan Stand . 21 December 2006.
  11. ↑ "Healy Park Tour –". Archived from the original on 16 March 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
  12. ↑ Tyrone, WeAre (12 January 2020). "Million pound pitch refurb for Healy Park". We Are Tyrone. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  13. ↑ "Tyrone SFC showpiece opener to benefit from new energy-efficient floodlighting". The Irish News. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
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