The Showgrounds, Sligo

Last updated

The Showgrounds
An Páirc Thaispeántais
Sligo Rovers grounds entrance.jpg
The Showgrounds, Sligo
Full nameThe Showgrounds, Sligo Town
Location Sligo, County Sligo
Coordinates 54°16′12″N8°29′14″W / 54.27000°N 8.48722°W / 54.27000; -8.48722
Public transit Sligo Mac Diarmada railway station
OwnerThe people of Sligo
Capacity 3,873 (seated) [1]
Record attendance13,908
Surface Grass
ScoreboardNo
Construction
Opened1928
Renovated2012
Tenants
Sligo Rovers F.C. (1928–present)

The Showgrounds is a stadium in Sligo, which has been home of Sligo Rovers since Rovers were formed in 1928.

Contents

Overview

The Showgrounds was leased until 1968 when it was then purchased for Sligo Rovers by a trust foundation representing the people of Sligo. Under the terms of the purchase it can never be mortgaged, sold or used for any commercial purposes other than sport and leisure. The Showgrounds is a 12 acre (49,000 m²) site with the stadium capacity of 3,873 seats. [1]

On 8 November 1978 Sligo opened their new covered accommodation on the Jinks Avenue in a FAI League Cup semi final against Shamrock Rovers.

In November 2001 the new main stand was opened to the public for the League Cup fixture with St. Patrick's Athletic. The stand accommodates 1,853 seats, although there is available capacity for further seating. It has been built in cantilever style to ensure there is no obstructed view.

The Showgrounds was revamped in winter 2006 with the demolition of the ground's most famous "Shed". This was followed by the demolition of the ground's old famous turnstiles. New state of the art turnstiles were built along with front offices. In March 2009 work was finished on a new club shop which is open on match nights. This is situated on the Tracey Avenue Stand side.

Sign at the Showgrounds Sligo Rovers3.jpg
Sign at the Showgrounds

In May 2009 the Showgrounds had some major upgrading work done to enable the club to compete in the 2009-10 UEFA Europa League. This work included the building of a new fully tarred car park, along with upgrading work to both all seater stands. An extra 200 seats were added to the Red Stand and also new seating was put into the jinks side of the ground. This work brought the seating capacity of the ground up to 2,700 which was required for competing in the Europa League.

In July 2012 a new stand was completed at the Railway End consisting of 1,323 seats. [2] In the 2016 domestic league season, the Sligo Rovers drew an average home attendance of 2,087, the fourth-highest in the league. [3]

StandCapacity (seats)Proposed Capacity (seats)
Tracey Avenue Stand1,6871,550
Railway End – (Volkswagen Bank)1,3231,150
Jinks Avenue Stand 8671,980
Churchill Road Stand –1,320
Total seating capacity3,8736,000

As of 18 May 2021. [1]

Future development

In the future there are plans to demolish the Jinks Avenue Stand and build a new 2,000 seater stand in its place. There are also plans to add a roof to the new Railway End and replace the old shed end with a new stand, though these plans are only in the pipeline. In May 2021 Rovers unveiled a €17 million plan to redevelop Showgrounds into a 6,000 capacity seater stadium, upgrading the facility to UEFA category 3. [4] The redevelopment plan included a provisional agreement, which would see Connacht Rugby also use the ground for competitions. [4]

External view of The Showgrounds Sligo Rovers FC stadium and Knappagh Road - geograph.org.uk - 3669800.jpg
External view of The Showgrounds

Record attendance

Other uses

The Showgrounds hosted greyhound racing from c.1934 - c.1947, which was initially run by the Sligo Greyhound Racing Company. [5] In 1939, the Sligo greyhound business was purchased by Matthew J. Lyons and John E. Dorris, who then moved the entire operation to Longford Greyhound Stadium. [6]

The North-Western Greyhound Association applied for a licence in September 1945 which was granted by the Irish Coursing Club to James Costello. The racing seems to have ended during 1947. [7]

The Showground hosted the match between champions, Rockmount A.F.C., and Cockhill Celtic in the 2023 FAI Intermediate Cup Final. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East End Park</span> Football stadium in Dunfermline, Scotland

East End Park, currently named KDM Group East End Park for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium situated in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland with a seating capacity of 11,480.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sligo Rovers F.C.</span> Football club

Sligo Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ewood Park</span> Football stadium

Ewood Park is a football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and the home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., founding members of the Football League and Premier League, who have played there since 1890. It is an all seater multi-sports facility with a capacity of 31,367, and four sections: the Bryan Douglas Darwen End, The Ronnie Clayton Blackburn End, the Riverside Stand, and Jack Walker Stand, named after Blackburn industrialist and club supporter, Jack Walker. The football pitch within the stadium measures 115 by 76 yards

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stark's Park</span> Football stadium in Kirkcaldy, Scotland

Stark's Park is a football stadium in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. It is the home ground of Raith Rovers, who have played there since 1891. The ground has an all-seated capacity of 8,867.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tolka Park</span> Football stadium in Dublin, Ireland

Tolka Park is an Irish football ground located in the north Dublin suburb of Drumcondra, on the northern banks of the River Tolka. It is currently the home ground of League of Ireland club Shelbourne. The stadium formerly held 9,680 people, but this has been scaled down in recent times due to health and safety regulations in the venue, mainly concerning the 'New' and Ballybough stands. Tolka Park has hosted national cup finals along with international matches, Champions League qualifiers, UEFA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup ties and was a venue for the 1994 UEFA European Under-16 Championship and 2000 Rugby League World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Park (football ground)</span> Football stadium in Dublin, Ireland

Richmond Park is a football stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Situated in the Dublin suburb of Inchicore, it is the home ground of League of Ireland side St Patrick's Athletic. The area where the ground now stands was formerly used as a recreational area by the British Army, who were stationed at the nearby Richmond Barracks, both named after Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond the barracks having since been demolished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium</span>

The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium is a municipal football stadium in Derry, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of League of Ireland team Derry City F.C. and (temporarily) NIFL Championship team Institute also home to NIWFA Championship Ladies Team Foyle Belles FC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tallaght Stadium</span> Association football stadium in Tallaght, Ireland

Tallaght Stadium is an association football stadium in the Republic of Ireland based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club Shamrock Rovers originally announced details of the stadium in July, 1996. The stadium is now owned and operated by South Dublin County Council with Shamrock Rovers as the anchor tenants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballymena Showgrounds</span> Football stadium in Northern Ireland

The Ballymena Showgrounds is a football stadium in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is home to Ballymena United F.C. and Ballymena United Women F.C. It is owned by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. In addition to men's football a variety of other sports and events are held at the stadium and surrounding facilities, including women's association football, field hockey, and, formerly, stock car racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cappielow</span> Football stadium in Greenock, Scotland

Cappielow, also known as Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology UK for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League club Greenock Morton, who have played there since 1879. It has a capacity of 11,589, including 5,741 seats. The ground was formerly also shared by Clydebank between 1999 and 2002. Cappielow has staged one full international match, Scotland against Wales in 1902.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wollongong Showground</span> Multi-sports stadium

Wollongong Showground, known as WIN Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Wollongong, Australia. The stadium was officially opened in 1911. From 1982 until 1998 it played host to every home match for the Illawarra Steelers NRL team, and is still the team's home ground in the lower grade competitions. It is now used as one home ground of the St George Illawarra Dragons rugby league side and Wollongong Wolves of the National Premier Leagues NSW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York Street</span> Football stadium in Boston, England

York Street, also known as The Jakemans Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Boston, England, and was the former home of Boston United. Originally called Shodfriars Lane, football was first played on the site since the late 19th century by a variety of Boston teams, but it was only used by Boston United since 1933. In the late 1970s the ground was rebuilt. Although the ground currently had a maximum capacity of 6,643, the record crowd was 11,000 against Derby County. 10 further attendances of more than 8,000 are on record. Boston United left the York Street ground at the end of the 2019/20 season. In August 2021 Railway Athletic FC moved into the stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Field Mill</span> Mansfield football stadium

Field Mill, currently known as One Call Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football ground in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, and the home of Mansfield Town Football Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dexcom Stadium</span> Multi-purpose stadium in Galway, Ireland

Dexcom Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Galway, Ireland. It opened in 1927 and has been used to host Connacht Rugby matches and greyhound racing since that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twerton Park</span>

Twerton Park is a football stadium in the Twerton suburb of Bath, England. The stadium is named after the surrounding area. It has a physical capacity of 8,840, of which 1,006 are seats, making it the 10th largest football stadium currently in non-League football. It is currently the home of Bath City F.C., who have played there since 1932. From 1986 to 1996, Bristol Rovers played at the ground following their departure from Eastville in Bristol. In 2020 the ground also became the home stadium for Bristol City Women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gayfield Park</span> Football stadium in Arbroath, Scotland

Gayfield Park, commonly known as Gayfield, is a football stadium in Arbroath, Angus, Scotland. It is the home ground of Scottish Professional Football League team Arbroath F.C. The club have played at Gayfield since 1880, although the pitch has only been on its current alignment since the ground was redeveloped in 1925. The ground has a capacity of 6,600, including 861 seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCD Bowl</span>

The UCD Bowl, also known as the Belfield Bowl, is a rugby union and football stadium in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. It is the home ground of University College Dublin R.F.C. in the AIB All Ireland League and League of Ireland Premier Division side University College Dublin A.F.C. It has also hosted training sessions for the Ireland national rugby union team and various touring international teams including the All Blacks. It was one of the venues for the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damson Park</span> Association football stadium in England

Damson Park is an association football stadium in Damson Parkway, Solihull, West Midlands, England. It was the new home of Solihull Borough following their departure from their original Widney Lane Ground. It is now the home of Solihull Moors, the club formed when Solihull Borough and Moor Green merged in 2007. They previously shared Damson Park with Birmingham & Solihull R.F.C. and also used to have an agreement that allows Birmingham City Reserves the use of the ground for their reserve games. The capacity of the stadium is 5,500.

Cressing Road, also known as the Rare Breed Meat Co. Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in Braintree, Essex, and the home ground of Braintree Town, and formally their reserve side. It currently has a capacity of 4,222.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Markets Field</span> Sports stadium in Limerick, Ireland

Markets Field is a stadium in Garryowen, Limerick, Ireland. It has been redeveloped since 5 June 2015 when it hosted a soccer match between Limerick FC and Drogheda United in the League of Ireland Premier Division. It has been graded a UEFA Category Two stadium with a capacity of around 4,500. The ground has hosted underage international fixtures in 2015 and 2021. The EA Sports Cup final between Limerick FC and St Patrick's Athletic was played in Markets Field on Saturday, 17 September 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "SLIGO ROVERS FOOTBALL CLUB DEVELOPMENT MASTERPLAN" (PDF). Sligo Rovers. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  2. ↑ "VW Bank End tickets set to go on sale". Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  3. ↑ "EFS Attendances".
  4. 1 2 "Sligo Rovers unveil €17m vision to redevelop Showgrounds into 6,000-seater stadium". the42. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "17th meeting of the Sligo Greyhound Racing Company - 05 October 1934". Belfast Telegraph - Belfast, Antrim. 1934.
  6. ↑ "Death of Matthew J.Lyons" . Irish Independent. 29 March 1988. Retrieved 14 February 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File, page 422. Ringpress Books. ISBN   0-948955-15-5.
  8. ↑ https://www.fai.ie/domestic/news/fai-intermediate-junior-cup-finals-confirmed%C2%A0
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.