Race on for Sligo to upgrade Showgrounds
Credit: Extratime Team (ETPhotos)
Sligo Rovers are doing all they can to ensure that they can host the 3rd Round Qualifying Round in their own Showgrounds as they could possibly be taking on Atletico Madrid, Stoke City or Palermo in late July.
The draw which will take place on the 15th of July, could see the Bit O'Red up against teams from the biggest leagues in the world and today an FAI Licensing Officer visited the North-West to assess what needed to be done for the game to be hosted in Sligo.
“We’re absolutely delighted to be awarded a place in round three. It’s a great reward for what the club achieved in 2010 and we’ll now being doing everything in our power to make sure the match takes place in The Showgrounds," said Rovers General Manager Packie Lynch. “The ground is in fantastic condition currently but there is extra work needed to be carried out to host the game, including around 2000 extra seats and other necessities."
Indeed major improvements have taken place in the Showgrounds of late. The TV gantry just above the Jinks Avenue stand accompanied the dedicated crowd segregation now in place in the same stand. While a new scoreboard, tar macadam behind the main stand and several buckets of paint have given the old ground a much needed facelift, making it much more supporter friendly.
“Failure for The Showgrounds to meet UEFA criteria would mean the game would have to be moved out of the county and at great cost to the club," stated Lynch. “It would be a huge shame if this were to happen because as a club we believe this could be one of the finest days in the history of football in the North-West if we were to be paired a club in the stature of some of the seeded teams in round three.
The mooted venues for the game if it were to be moved include the Aviva Stadium, where Rovers won the FAI Cup in November, Tallaght Community Stadium, where Rovers have never won a game or Thomond Park in Limerick.
“Sligo Rovers have made great strides in recent years and I have no doubt that the initiatives we put in place to help our bid to host the game in Sligo will be widely supported." said former Pat's keeper Lynch.
After bringing 15,000 supporters to the cup final in November, it can be assured that tickets for a game against the stature of Atletico Madrid would be like gold dust around Sligo town, although it's a complaint I'm sure the club would be more than happy to weather.
The draw which will take place on the 15th of July, could see the Bit O'Red up against teams from the biggest leagues in the world and today an FAI Licensing Officer visited the North-West to assess what needed to be done for the game to be hosted in Sligo.
“We’re absolutely delighted to be awarded a place in round three. It’s a great reward for what the club achieved in 2010 and we’ll now being doing everything in our power to make sure the match takes place in The Showgrounds," said Rovers General Manager Packie Lynch. “The ground is in fantastic condition currently but there is extra work needed to be carried out to host the game, including around 2000 extra seats and other necessities."
Indeed major improvements have taken place in the Showgrounds of late. The TV gantry just above the Jinks Avenue stand accompanied the dedicated crowd segregation now in place in the same stand. While a new scoreboard, tar macadam behind the main stand and several buckets of paint have given the old ground a much needed facelift, making it much more supporter friendly.
“Failure for The Showgrounds to meet UEFA criteria would mean the game would have to be moved out of the county and at great cost to the club," stated Lynch. “It would be a huge shame if this were to happen because as a club we believe this could be one of the finest days in the history of football in the North-West if we were to be paired a club in the stature of some of the seeded teams in round three.
The mooted venues for the game if it were to be moved include the Aviva Stadium, where Rovers won the FAI Cup in November, Tallaght Community Stadium, where Rovers have never won a game or Thomond Park in Limerick.
“Sligo Rovers have made great strides in recent years and I have no doubt that the initiatives we put in place to help our bid to host the game in Sligo will be widely supported." said former Pat's keeper Lynch.
After bringing 15,000 supporters to the cup final in November, it can be assured that tickets for a game against the stature of Atletico Madrid would be like gold dust around Sligo town, although it's a complaint I'm sure the club would be more than happy to weather.
About Christopher Davey
is a full time Physics student in Trinity College Dublin, but his deep love of all things football is one that simply has to show somewhere. You can contact Christopher on Twitter @ChristopherDavy View Full Profile