Stadium decision by IRFU, FAI due today

The Irish Rugby Football Union and the Football Association of Ireland are due to make a final decision on their preferred location for a new 65,000-seater national stadium today.

Both groups will also disclose details of how much money they are willing to contribute to a new stadium, believed to be between €100 million and €150 million.

The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, is scheduled to meet the IRFU and FAI this afternoon, which will present the results of an expert report which studied four locations for the new stadium, including Abbotstown and Lansdowne Road.

A spokesman for the Minister said Mr O'Donoghue would consider the report, but would make his own decision which would be brought to Government in due course.

"The Minister remains convinced that a new stadium, irrespective of location, is vital for the games of soccer, rugby and for sports fans generally. When looking at the case for a new stadium, one must not overlook the enormous social and indeed financial contribution made by sport," the spokesman said.

FAI and IRFU officials were unwilling last night to comment on the contents of the expert report. There have been conflicting newspaper reports about which site is likely to be selected.

While the cost of building a stadium at Abbotstown would cost around €353 million, a redeveloped Lansdowne Road could cost anything between €550 million and €600 million, according to some sources.

It has been suggested that construction at the Ballsbridge site would be more expensive because of space limitations, which would mean the stadium would have to be higher.

Government officials have been keen to underline how the size and cost of the project have reduced substantially since original plans for an 80,000-seater stadium and sports campus were unveiled some years ago.

They have also noted that the Office of Public Works employed consultants to examine at least 20 sites around Dublin, which recommended that Abbotstown was the most suitable location under a range of headings, such as accessibility and size.

The location of the project has been the subject of a long-running political row between the Coalition leaders.