The Government's ambitious £550 million Sports Campus Ireland project gained significant momentum last night when the Football Association of Ireland dropped its plans for a national soccer stadium in favour of becoming an anchor tenant at Stadium Ireland, the centrepiece of the Government's scheme.
The soccer body's 55-member national council unanimously accepted the Government's offer of up to £125 million to abandon plans for Eircom Park.
The association's chief executive, Mr Bernard O'Byrne, described the deal agreed with the Government as "stunning," and officials last night agreed it would potentially make £165 million in funding available to the organisation between now and 2014.
Even taking into account grants and funding of the around £78 million the FAI would normally expect to receive, the deal is still worth an additional £87 million to soccer's national governing body.
Welcoming the decision, the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, said it heralded "an exciting new era in the history of Irish football".
The announcement will bolster the Government's plans for the £280 million, 80,000-seater Stadium Ireland at Blanchardstown since it removes any serious prospective competition that would have made it less economically and politically viable. Stadium Ireland is a cornerstone of the Sports Campus Ireland complex, which is expected to cost the Exchequer £350 million.
The plan for a multi-sport complex housing a massive stadium, an Olympic-standard pool and a range of other facilities, relies heavily on sporting organisations signing up to use it.
"This is great news for all concerned and for football and Sports Campus Ireland in particular," said Dr McDaid.
"This now enables the FAI and the Government to redouble our efforts on behalf of sport and to work together as partners in the development of soccer right from grass-roots to senior level and in every part of the country."
The FAI's chief executive, Mr Bernard O'Byrne, last night said the £3.5 million he had spent over the last three years in his campaign to build Eircom Park was "the best three million I ever spent". He said it had placed the FAI in a strong negotiating position with the Government over Stadium Ireland.
The offer accepted last night was made in a series of meetings which began three weeks ago. On the same morning the Government unveiled its ambitious plans for Sports Campus Ireland, the Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation met top-ranking FAI officials to offer them an incentive to drop the Eircom project.