Astronomical pitch costs not offset by potential Euro 2028 windfall

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has mentioned “long-lasting benefits” for the League of Ireland by Dublin co-hosting Euro 2028 with London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast.

For all the FAI talk of six matches at the Aviva Stadium generating “socio-economic benefits” of €241 million, the prospective co-hosts neglected to mention outlay. Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe broke ranks last week, revealing that at least €93 million will need to be spent first.

Another reality dose: the Government may have to cough up part of £130 (£147.5 million) million needed to clear the weeds and rebuild Casement Park, home to Antrim GAA, under the Shared Island scheme which, Minister Donohoe noted, would skyrocket the €93 million costs.

Donohoe even called the Department of Tourism suggestion that visitors who could not come to Dublin due to the tournament taking place in high summer would reschedule for another time in 2028 as “overly optimistic”.

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Still, being generous, the economy could earn €100 million by holding a major football tournament in five years’ time, with €25 million saved by only hosting six, rather than seven, games with Croke Park being overlooked.

Speaking of “lasting benefits”, Dundalk’s Oriel Park and the Brandywell in Derry would happily turn Euro 2028 profits into grass pitches after two League of Ireland managers openly blamed four separate injuries on both clubs artificial surfaces.

On March 17th Sligo Rovers pair Johan Brannefalk and Karl O’Sullivan suffered “extensive ankle ligament damage” at the Brandywell, prompting manager John Russell to observe: “We’ve come into this game with no injuries picked up during the season, we work extremely hard trying to manage the players’ load and now we come here and there’s two injuries because of the astro.”

“It’s probably no coincidence that Derry have a lot of players on the injury table,” Russell added. “We want to be playing on grass pitches, that would be my preference anyway.”

Derry City declined to comment but The Irish Times has learned that nothing is being done to address the Brandywell’s surface, which is owned by the local district council and has at least 12 months left of its five-year life cycle. Candystripes manager Ruaidhrí Higgins previously said he would prefer to play home matches on grass but maintenance costs are a major barrier.

Last Sunday, Dundalk manager Stephen O’Donnell aired his views about Oriel following injuries to Andy Boyle and Greg Sloggett.

“[Dundalk and Derry] are the two teams with the most injuries and we know what the correlation is,” said O’Donnell. “It’s gone beyond probably a point of not a great surface to watch football on – it’s actually injuring players.

“Muscle injuries, there is no give on it. You go up for a header and if you don’t land square on the ball of your foot, you’re doing your ankle ligaments or doing your knee.”

The FAI rejected the views of Russell and O’Donnell, noting that the Brandywell and Oriel both have “Fifa quality pro certification” provided by an “independent test institution”. But O’Donnell told the Irish Independent: “All I know is we get a lorry load of injuries and Derry get a lot of injuries. I’d just be a bit worried about the injury count. Whatever about the spectacle and that, which isn’t ideal, we’re losing a few bodies now and you see Derry do as well. Is it a coincidence?”

Dundalk also declined to comment but their manager has already noted that club owners Seán O’Connor and Alan Clarke also want grass but the cost is astronomical.

Something needs to happen before the incoming EU rubber pellet ban makes 2,500 AstroTurf pitches across Ireland redundant by 2029.

Therein lies the rub. Full-sized artificial surfaces cost between €400,000 and €600,000 but if microplastics are outlawed, to be replaced with coconut shell and cork, as the FAI informed the Irish Examiner, the current six-year deadline will cause “serious negative financial and socio-economic impacts” for football across Europe.

No worries, the socio-economic benefits from the Euros will cancel out these socio-economic negatives.

The government’s current solution is to lobby the EU Commission to delay the ban. Sure, who needs sturdy ankle ligaments?