INSTONIANS have agreed to sell their ground, Shane Park, for a sum I understand to be in the region of £5 million. Shane Park is on Stockman's Lane in Belfast, just off the MI motorway, a prime location.
While several senior clubs have sold grounds in recent years, no club have made the sort of money Instonians will receive for the sale of their site.
No date is set for Instonians to vacate the ground, and the club have several options about a new venue, including sharing with another club. One possibility could be to share the Cooke Club, which is situated at the same side of the city at Shaw's Bridge. The Cooke ground is among the best in the province, with excellent facilities.
Instonians, who are at the bottom of the first division of the All-Ireland League, have also appointed a new coach for next season. He is Brian McLaughlin, the Ulster under-20 coach, who is also assistant coach to Eddie O'Sullivan with the Ireland under-21 team that won the Triple Crown by beating Wales last Friday week.
A former back row forward with Regent House, McLaughlin was on the same schools side as Philip Matthews and Nigel Carr. He has coached Ards, Malone and Wallace High School, and last season coached the RBAI side that won the Ulster Schools Senior Cup.
