Cavan GAA ‘thinks big’ on new stadium

New plans for Kingspan Breffni unveiled

Sport fans can get a first glimpse of the futuristic Kingspan Breffni Stadium as the Cavan GAA County Board gets ready to submit plans to the council for approval for a multi-million euro redevelopment.

Images and drawings shared with the Celt this week reveal the scale and ambition of the project, which if sanctioned, will set the Cavan county grounds up to become a venue of increased national importance.

The planning notice is published inside in today’s Celt, as are artist’s impressions of the county board’s vision.

The plans provide for an extended covered seated area, performance assessment and rehab hub, conference facilities, a handball court, hospitality facilities and a museum, as well as new pitches.

The stadium development is also set to be a first for Europe in terms of how it will be built, by being completely carbon neutral in its construction - off-setting any emissions through implementing renewable energy technology and planting.

The build fits with the GAA’s existing Polo Grounds Centre of Excellence (CoE) vision, first revealed in New York in 2019. This includes the installation of four new pitches on a 23-acre plot at the rear of the existing Kingspan Breffni stadium.

Once works are complete Chairman of Cavan GAA Kieran Callaghan believes it will establish the revamped county grounds as one of the premier sporting arenas in Ireland.

“If you take Croke Park and Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork, this is definitely up there with the best,” he told The Anglo-Celt this week. “When you look at a proposal like this, it’s not just the footballers on the pitch. It’s even more than that.”

A bite of the Apple

While refusing to speculate on what it might cost to deliver, Mr Callaghan suggests the government allow Cavan GAA to take a bite out of the €13bn in unpaid taxes set to be returned to the Exchequer by tech-giant Apple.

The cost-benefit of such an investment, Mr Callaghan considers, would be generational in its return.

He believes too that the stadium and Centre of Excellence investment has the “scope” to be an important strategic development for the government and GAA alike. Importantly from a playing perspective, it will be the only county facility in the country where both stadium and CoE share the same location.

Mr Callaghan also references Kingspan Breffni’s proximity to critical infrastructure such as the local hospital, as well as a network of accessible transport routes.

“We haven’t even looked at costs yet. We’re still at planning,” he says. “But North, South, East, West, put a pin in the map and Cavan is right there. This has the scope to be an important strategic development for the government, for the GAA, and when you look at everything around us, including location, everything is set up for this to be a major success story for Cavan for years to come.”

The goal is to build a new state-of-the-art stand and all that this entails figures as part of phase two of their Polo Grounds CoE master plan.

The investment here will see the covered seating capacity at Kingspan Breffni extended the length of one side of the pitch - to more than three times its current size (6,000).

Facilities within comprise a new entrance plaza, turnstiles, concourses, circulation, toilet areas, hospitality and bar facilities, and behind the scenes eight new dressing rooms.

There will also be a two floor handball court with viewing area, offices, a 120-seater auditorium, kitchen/dining area, a video analysis suite, media space, first aid and medical facilities, conference suites, a sensory room, stores, a plant room improved parking and landscaping.

The plan is to build around the existing seated stand, explains Mr Callaghan.

To achieve an unprecedented zero carbon impact, he adds that the design by Kingscourt based Niall Smith Architects will utilise Kingspan LEC (lower embodied carbon) products along with energy-efficient and low-carbon technologies.

“It means the materials used and the construction process have a net-zero effect on the environment in terms of carbon emissions.”

Mr Callaghan isn’t afraid to say that some were shocked by the scale of ambition shown by the GAA board, who viewed this development as an “opportunity” to build for the future, and leave a “legacy” that will stand for another 100 years. “It’s about thinking big. Yes this is ambitious, but you have to be.”

Following on too from the a landmark Memorandum of Agreement reached with the LGFA and camoige over the usage of all facilities at the Polo Grounds CoE, Mr Callaghan says the design also had to cater for that demand.

The first floor meanwhile will house the Breffni Gallery, a unique space developed to showcase how Cavan GAA is engrained in the social fabric of the county.

“We’re all involved,” says Mr Callaghan, who adds that the Breffni Gallery boasts memorabilia the likes of which won’t find anywhere else.

“We’re very proud of Cavan’s GAA heritage, and this is all about opening doors. It’s about promoting Cavan as a tourist centre as well. You go to any city in Europe, often the first place you visit is the Cathedral and the football stadium. Cavan can do that too.”

Regional Sports Complex

The unveiling of the design of the new stadium come as work continues separately, yet in partnership with Cavan County Council and the neighbouring Royal School, to deliver a multi-million euro Regional Sports Complex on lands adjacent.

While a decision on planning is still outstanding from An Bord Pleanála, the outcome of two funding applications - under PEACEPLUS and Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) - is anticipated.

Stakeholders will then assess how much can be delivered in the first phase of the project. There are plans for a multi-sports dome, 4G pitches, playing areas for basketball and hockey, and facilities for badminton and tennis, as well as an athletics track.

Similar in scale to the hugely successful Erne East Peace Link facility in nearby Clones, it’s hoped to add a competitive-sized swimming pool at a later stage.

Mr Callaghan regards: “Look at Kingspan Breffni going forward, at the Regional Sports Campus as well. This is needed. This is an events centre. The amount of people already coming here and using our facilities on a weekly basis is mind-blowing. And we’re just only offering facilities. It can be so much more. Use it 300 days of the year, not just at the weekends or at night.”

Once all is built, Mr Callaghan believes the transformation of the grounds and investment in the site will begin paying dividends on the pitch.

“I honestly do,” he tells the Celt. “You have to look to the long-term. This is for the next 100 years and more.”