Tallaght Stadium

About

Tallaght Stadium (Irish: Staid Thamhlachta) is an association football stadium in 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.

The main stand holds home supporters, club officials and press. A second stand on the opposite (east) side of the ground, was completed in August, 2009. This stand holds the stadium's TV gantry and brought the seating capacity to 6,000 and currently houses away fans. A temporary south stand was constructed over a short period in early September 2011 for Rovers' games in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League group stage. In 2019 a permanent South Stand was opened behind one of the goals, bringing the capacity to 8,000. Construction of new North Stand started in 2022, and was opened in 2024 which completed the fourth side of the ground and brought the capacity up to 10,000 seats. All four stands are covered.

Refreshment stalls are located at the southern end as is a stadium control room. In June, 2013, a scoreboard was added to the stadium control room.

Temporary seating has been constructed at the stadium three times—once for a club friendly against Real Madrid, which gave the ground a temporary capacity of 10,900 again before the 2009 FAI Cup Final, giving the ground a temporary capacity of 8,500 and for Rovers' games in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League group stage.

Though previously run by kit supplier, Umbro, it is now fully operated by Rovers. The Megastore was expanded in March, 2011, to include the Rovers Café. Within the Café was a large collection of memorabilia and trophies from the club's foundation in 1899 to the present day that have been donated to the Shamrock Rovers Heritage Trust and have been placed on public display. For the 2013 League of Ireland season, the cafe was replaced with a Customer service area.

Club members can visit the Glenmalure Suite 60 minutes before kick off, at half time, and after the game for 30 minutes. Occasional post match Q&A with the manager and players are held in the suite.

For the 2018 League of Ireland Premier Division season the bigger 1899 Suite opened for members.

Though previously run by kit supplier, Umbro, it is now fully operated by Rovers. The Megastore was expanded in March, 2011, to include the Rovers Café. Within the Café was a large collection of memorabilia and trophies from the club's foundation in 1899 to the present day that have been donated to the Shamrock Rovers Heritage Trust and have been placed on public display. For the 2013 League of Ireland season, the cafe was replaced with a Customer service area.

Club members can visit the Glenmalure Suite 60 minutes before kick off, at half time, and after the game for 30 minutes. Occasional post match Q&A with the manager and players are held in the suite.

For the 2018 League of Ireland Premier Division season the bigger 1899 Suite opened for members.

The following chronology is taken from the Judgement from the High Court on the Judicial Review.

On 10 February 1997, South Dublin County Council passed a resolution to lease land comprising approximately 12.18 acres (49,300 m 2 ) at Whitestown Way for the construction of a Stadium for Shamrock Rovers F.C. On 14 January 1998, planning permission was granted and on 24 March 2000, the lease was granted to Mulden International Limited. On 20 October 2000, Mulden International Limited transferred their lease to Slonepark Company Limited to build the stadium and work commenced in October, 2000. Work ceased at the site in November, 2001, with the pitch and drainage laid, the main stand almost complete and other buildings in various states of completion.

Following a prolonged period where no work was carried out at the stadium and a refusal by the Planning Authority in December 2004 to extend the lease the Council terminated the lease on 4 January 2004.

An examiner was appointed to Shamrock Rovers F.C. on 11 April 2005, and the council engaged in discussions with the examiner regarding the completion of the stadium and its use by Shamrock Rovers Football Club when completed. Following the examinership process a supporters group, the '400 Club' took control of Shamrock Rovers and run the club today as the Shamrock Rovers Members Club.

A public consultation process began on 18 July 2005, to complete the soccer stadium at Sean Walsh Memorial Park. Thomas Davis CLG participated fully in the public consultation process. A county Managers report was presented to the council on 12 December 2005, which provided for the increase of playing area to accommodate senior Gaelic games and other uses subject to allocation of funds from the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism. The council then informed the Department of the resolution and request clarification regarding funding from the department.

A reply was received from the department on 24 January 2006, stating that the Minister could not agree to make funding available for the modified development.

The recent Council decision to adopt the manager's report subject to increasing the size of the playing pitch and extending the stands seriously undermines the basis of the previously agreed approach. A larger pitch cannot easily be accommodated within the present site given the buildings already in place and would mean that a future stand at the far side of the existing uncompleted stand would be about half the size as originally envisaged, thus limiting the future capacity to about 4,500. Given that the ends of the partially completed west stand are curved means that any proposal to extend along the length is likely to involve significantly increased costs.... In response to the request from South Dublin County Council that funding be provided towards the new development as envisaged by the resolution recently passed by your Council, I wish to confirm that the Minister cannot agree to make the funding available on the basis of the new proposed development.

— Letter from Dept. Arts, Sport & Tourism, 24 January 2006

Acting on the Ministers response the Council voted in favour of proceeding with the original plans on 13 February 2006.

Thomas Davis GAA club instituted judicial review proceedings in the High Court in May, 2006. Their main argument was that the decision of the council on 13 February 2006, to revert to the original plans for the stadium, which did not include a senior GAA pitch, was unlawful. Their submission on the technical point was accompanied by cultural arguments that 'the youth of Tallaght will be restricted to a diet of Association football' and that a soccer-only ground would place the 'applicant at a severe disadvantage in attracting the youth of Tallaght to the club, the sport and the GAA culture'. However the stadium, with the original design, could accommodate junior GAA games as the pitch used at this level fits within the stadium's dimensions. It was only senior GAA games that would not have been facilitated.