Shelbourne FC submit proposal to purchase Tolka Park

Shelbourne Football Club board members met with Dublin City Council today, to submit a proposal by the club to purchase Tolka Park Football Stadium from the City Council, and redevelop it into a multi-sport stadium.

It arrives as a major boost to the Save Tolka Park campaign – a coalition of local residents, football fans and activists united in opposition to the rezoning, sale and destruction of Tolka Park (which has been home to Shelbourne F.C. since 1989) by private developers. The group's aim is to protect its almost 100 years of sporting history, and to see Tolka Park recognised as an important community asset.

According to a statement, Dublin City Council "is willing to examine the proposal," but "it would be based on a cost recovery model for expenditure incurred by the City Council and a firm commitment from Shelbourne FC that Tolka Park can be re-developed in a reasonable period and that adequate finance is in place."

In the statement, Dublin City Council also reaffirm their commitment "to developing a municipal stadium at Dalymount Park," noting that they are "continuing to work with all stakeholders including both clubs, the Government and local community groups to develop a modern municipal stadium."

For Those I Love and Oski Bravo are set to play 'A Night of Songs and Stories to Save Tolka Park' in the Button Factory, Dublin on Saturday, March 5 – as part of a special benefit gig that will also feature a panel of guest speakers from across the Irish football community.

The night will serve as an opportunity to raise funds and awareness, as the campaign continues to fight to save one of Dublin’s oldest sporting landmarks.

For Those I Love, aka David Balfe, has been vocal about the importance of the Save Tolka Park campaign. He famously held up a 'Coolock Reds' Shelbourne flag, which belonged to his friend, the late Dublin poet Paul Curran, during his performance on Later... with Jools Holland.

"Tolka exists far beyond its role as a place to kick ball," Balfe states. "It lives in people’s hearts. It’s a ground that connects families through generations and brings people together to form undying bonds. For me and mine, Tolka is a place for us to connect with the memory of our best friend whom we lost a few years back, and I know it serves that same role for so many more. Tolka is more than a ground, it’s a home."

Tickets for A Night of Songs and Stories to Save Tolka Park are available now here.

Read Paul O'Mahony's report of what turned out to be one of the most memorable nights in Irish domestic football here, as Galway Women's FC unexpectedly dismantled leaders Peamount United and gifted the title to Shelbourne at Tolka Park – making for a powerfully dramatic finale to last season's SSE Airtricity Women's National League.

O'Mahony looks ahead to what promises to be the most combative season in the history of domestic women's senior football in the new issue of Hot Press, available to order now.

The new issue features cover stars Pillow Queens, whose member Pamela Connolly has also been a vocal supporter of the Save Tolka Park campaign.