Galway United FC and Athenry Swans Hockey Club officially unveil their plans for the Mountain South Multi-Purpose Sport Training Facility in Athenry.
Following confirmation of an application submitted earlier this month for Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Funding (LSSIF) for the project, supported by both the FAI and Hockey Ireland, both clubs presented plans for the Multi-Purpose Sport Training Facility at the launch earlier today.
The event was attended and supported by over 100 people including public representatives from across the political spectrum. The Mayor of Galway County, Albert Dolan, and Mayor of Galway City, Peter Keane, local councillors, TDs, Senators, and MEPs along with Paul Cooke (President, FAI) and Anne Mc Cormack (CEO, Hockey Ireland) and other members from both governing sporting bodies were all present to show their support for the project.
Speakers from both clubs stressed the importance of the project in fulfilling a major shortage in training facilities for both organisations and the wider community in Galway as they strive to further develop and progress their sports. Particular mention made of the benefit the Training Facility project will give to both clubs underage academy and youth
members.
Acknowledgment was made to the generous contribution from The Comer Family towards the Mountain South Facility and recognition of Brian Comer’s attendance at the event was made along with the ongoing support the family are giving to the project.
Significant progress has been made in recent pre planning meetings and it is anticipated that a formal planning application will be submitted by the Autumn.
The Mountain South Centre of Excellence will offer a versatile, multi-sport training facility aimed at addressing the significant gap in high-performance training amenities needed to support the current and future growth of both football (Galway United F.C.) and hockey (Athenry Swans Hockey Club) in Galway and the surrounding areas.
The facility is designed for easy adaptation to various other sports, ensuring that the High-Performance Hub is accessible to athletes across all disciplines.
Jonathan Corbett, Chairperson of Galway United commented that it is “vital that this project is funded and backed by all elected representatives to secure a bright future for both football and hockey in Galway and The West of Ireland”.
Will Clarke, FAI/League of Ireland Academy Development Manager reiterated the importance of having a home training ground for the development of the club’s academy and how government funding is vital to support young players coming up through the underage teams.
Galway United Chairman, Jonathan Corbett, highlighted the fact that of the eight LSSIF submissions made by the FAI, the joint proposal between Galway United FC and Athenry Swans Hockey Club is the only training facility proposal that has been submitted.
