FitzGerald Stadium
Encyclopedia
Fitzgerald Stadium is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association
stadium in Killarney
, Ireland
, and is the home championship venue for the Kerry senior football team
.
Named in honour of one of the first great players of the Gaelic Athletic Association
, Dick Fitzgerald
, Fitzgerald Stadium was officially opened on May 31, 1936 by Dr. O'Brien, the then Bishop of Kerry
, and J. M. Harty, Archbishop of Cashel
.
The attendance at its first match was at least 20,000, reputed to have been 28,000. Within one year, the new Killarney
stadium was to host the All-Ireland Hurling Final
between Tipperary
and Kilkenny
due to the unavailability of Croke Park because of the construction of the first Cusack Stand. The capacity of the ground was severely tested in 1950 when the stadium, unusually, hosted the Munster hurling final between Cork and Tipperary, when an estimated crowd of 50,000 turned up and in the closing stages large numbers of Cork supporters encroached on the pitch, making life difficult for Tipperary goalkeeper, Tony Reddan. The claustrophobic atmosphere prompted ace Tipperary defender, John Doyle
to remark that it was the first time he hurled in the midst of about 5,000.
Further developments took place at the stadium in the 1970s with the erection of the Dr. O’Sullivan stand and a pavilion. All of this raised the capacity to 39,120. This stadium is regarded as one of the finest outside of Croke Park
, situated under the gaze of the picturesque Kerry mountains.
The Stadium Committee has plans to redevelop both ends of the ground to the standard of the Michael O’Connor Terrace incorporating new dressing rooms and covered areas, to eventually increase the capacity of the ground to 50,000.
In the winter of 2008/2009 the first phase in the redevelopment was finished. Among the changes are the following:
There are 3 levels in all underneath the new Terrace. Level 1 has the dressing rooms and shops at the rear of the terrace.Level 2 has very spacious meeting rooms for Stewards, Gardaí, Drug Testing and a Press Room for post match interviews which has a stairway direct to dressing room area.The top level, accessed by lift or stairs, is made up of a Control Tower for crowd control and monitoring and there is also a spacious room overlooking the pitch for TV match analysis.The main entrance area from Lewis Rd has been extended with facilities for selling match tickets on match day.On the stand side, there are new entrance/exit stairs at the scoreboard end of the stand.New wheelchair facilities are located in the stand with lift access.There is a new seating area for substitutes/mentors in the stand adjacent to the VIP area in the middle of the stand.The pitch itself is in absolute pristine condition following a 6 months break from playing activity.All entrance areas adjacent to the new terracing have been tar-macked.The next phase of development will consist of new terracing at the scoreboard end.So it can now be said that the Kerry teams have probably the best facilities in the country, outside of Croke Park, available to them.
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
stadium in Killarney
Killarney
Killarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is located north of the MacGillicuddy Reeks, on the northeastern shore of the Lough Lein/Leane which are part of Killarney National Park. The town and its surrounding region are home to St...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and is the home championship venue for the Kerry senior football team
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
.
Named in honour of one of the first great players of the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
, Dick Fitzgerald
Dick Fitzgerald
Dick Fitzgerald was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Dr. Crokes and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1903 until 1923. Fitzgerald captained Kerry to back-to-back All-Ireland titles in 1913 and 1914-Biography:Dick was born in College...
, Fitzgerald Stadium was officially opened on May 31, 1936 by Dr. O'Brien, the then Bishop of Kerry
Bishop of Kerry
The Bishop of Kerry is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kerry, one of the suffragan dioceses of the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly in Ireland.. Their present see is at St...
, and J. M. Harty, Archbishop of Cashel
Archbishop of Cashel
The Archbishop of Cashel is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. The title is still in use in the Roman Catholic Church, but in the Church of Ireland it was downgraded to a bishopric in 1838....
.
The attendance at its first match was at least 20,000, reputed to have been 28,000. Within one year, the new Killarney
Killarney
Killarney is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is located north of the MacGillicuddy Reeks, on the northeastern shore of the Lough Lein/Leane which are part of Killarney National Park. The town and its surrounding region are home to St...
stadium was to host the All-Ireland Hurling Final
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
between Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
and Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
due to the unavailability of Croke Park because of the construction of the first Cusack Stand. The capacity of the ground was severely tested in 1950 when the stadium, unusually, hosted the Munster hurling final between Cork and Tipperary, when an estimated crowd of 50,000 turned up and in the closing stages large numbers of Cork supporters encroached on the pitch, making life difficult for Tipperary goalkeeper, Tony Reddan. The claustrophobic atmosphere prompted ace Tipperary defender, John Doyle
John Doyle (hurler)
John Doyle was an Irish sportsperson and politician, hailed as one of the best defenders in hurling and his county's most iconic player upon his death. He played hurling with his local Holycross-Ballycahill club from the 1940s until the 1970s and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county...
to remark that it was the first time he hurled in the midst of about 5,000.
Further developments took place at the stadium in the 1970s with the erection of the Dr. O’Sullivan stand and a pavilion. All of this raised the capacity to 39,120. This stadium is regarded as one of the finest outside of Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
, situated under the gaze of the picturesque Kerry mountains.
The Stadium Committee has plans to redevelop both ends of the ground to the standard of the Michael O’Connor Terrace incorporating new dressing rooms and covered areas, to eventually increase the capacity of the ground to 50,000.
In the winter of 2008/2009 the first phase in the redevelopment was finished. Among the changes are the following:
- Extension of terracing at Lewis Rd end as far as the stand. The terracing is designed in such a way as to allow its continuation along the stand side if and when the stand is upgraded.Spectators will enter new terracing through a tunnel at ground level or through stairways to the centre of the terrace.
- There is also additional entrance/exit stairs to the old terracing at the rear of the Lewis Rd goal.
- The new terracing will accommodate an additional 4,000 spectators bringing stadium capacity to 43,000. Further development will be undertaken to raise this to 50,000.
- There are 4 large dressing rooms underneath the new terrace with individual showering and toilet facilities. Each player will have individual changing areas as in Croke Park.
- There is also provision for medical and physio staff as well as a separate area for mentors.Players will now exit the dressing rooms via a tunnel.
There are 3 levels in all underneath the new Terrace. Level 1 has the dressing rooms and shops at the rear of the terrace.Level 2 has very spacious meeting rooms for Stewards, Gardaí, Drug Testing and a Press Room for post match interviews which has a stairway direct to dressing room area.The top level, accessed by lift or stairs, is made up of a Control Tower for crowd control and monitoring and there is also a spacious room overlooking the pitch for TV match analysis.The main entrance area from Lewis Rd has been extended with facilities for selling match tickets on match day.On the stand side, there are new entrance/exit stairs at the scoreboard end of the stand.New wheelchair facilities are located in the stand with lift access.There is a new seating area for substitutes/mentors in the stand adjacent to the VIP area in the middle of the stand.The pitch itself is in absolute pristine condition following a 6 months break from playing activity.All entrance areas adjacent to the new terracing have been tar-macked.The next phase of development will consist of new terracing at the scoreboard end.So it can now be said that the Kerry teams have probably the best facilities in the country, outside of Croke Park, available to them.
Concerts
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- July 7, 2002 - Counting CrowsCounting CrowsCounting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
- June 27, 2003 - The CorrsThe CorrsThe Corrs are an Irish band which combine pop rock with traditional Celtic folk music. The brother and sisters are from Dundalk, Ireland. The group consists of the Corr siblings: Andrea ; Sharon ; Caroline ; and Jim .The Corrs came to international prominence with their performance at the...
- June 26, 2004 - P!nkP!nkAlecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
- July 15, 2007 - WestlifeWestlifeWestlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
- June 22, 2008 - Pussycat DollsPussycat DollsThe Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
- July 18, 2009
External links
- East Kerry Webpage
- http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2007/0702/johnmolloy.html