National League: Home Farm have unveiled a plan to extensively redevelop and improve the facilities at the club's Whitehall Home over the next three years. The project, which will involve the spending of more than €1 million, includes the addition of a third all-weather pitch, a new club house, dressing rooms and a new covered stand.
The scheme was described yesterday by club chairman Paddy Hilliard as, "the biggest single spending programme in the history of the grassroots game in this country".
More than half of the money involved will come from Renault Ireland which will become the club's major sponsor.
The company's chief executive Bill Cullen is a former Home Farm player and retains strong links with the club.
"It's a huge amount of money for us to be able to spend on improving the club and it's fantastic that so much of it is coming from one of our former players," said Hilliard.
"It represents a huge and lasting investment in the game by Renault and we're looking forward to working with Bill and everybody else at the company during what will be an exciting time for everybody at the club."
The intention is that by 2008 the third all-weather pitch will be in place, the new club house, stand and a range of other new facilities will be complete and that all will contribute to an upgrading of what is already one of the country's most famous youth academies.
The club - which has 350 players involved with teams of virtually all ages as well as 70 five- to seven-year-olds in a special youth section has a remarkable record as a source of talented players as well as a finishing school for those who have shown promise at smaller outfits.
Founded in 1928 by Dr Brendan Menton and Don Seery a string of senior internationals have passed through Whitehall over the years including Mick Martin, Paddy Mulligan, Ray Treacy and Ronnie Whelan, and more recently, Gary Kelly, Mark Kinsella, Richard Dunne and Alan Maybury.
Talks are reported to be ongoing, meanwhile, with a neighbouring school over the joint development of further pitches which would be available to students during the day and the club in the evenings.
Additional funding for the current scheme is coming from the Irish Youth Foundation, the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism and Tony O'Reilly.
A testimonial dinner is to take place at the Burlington Hotel on May 5th for former Republic of Ireland international Keith O'Neill whose career was cut short by injury.
Bryan Robson, Paul Gascoigne, Gary Pallister and Kevin Moran are amongst the former players lined up to attend the event, while the rather eclectic list of celebrities promised by the organisers includes Michael Flatley, Bananarama, Nicky Byrne and Andrew Ridgeley.
"I'm really excited by the whole thing," says O'Neill. "Those who know me, and know what I'm like are fully aware of the of the type of night its going to be." Further details are available from the organisers at 0044 845 226 5474.
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