South Dublin County Council has notified Basketball Ireland of their decision to grant planning permission for the €38m redevelopment of the National Basketball Arena.
The project will double the multi-sport and multi-use arena’s capacity to 3,272. Construction is expected to take 18 months.
The 8,000-square-metre facility will have space for four basketball courts, a gym, a café, corporate facilities, and office space for Basketball Ireland staff.
It will be fully accessible and inclusive and has the backing of several sporting bodies, including Volleyball Ireland, Badminton Ireland, and Irish Squash, which have all expressed an interest in using the facility.
“This is excellent news and a major step forward in bringing the new National Basketball Arena to fruition,” said Basketball ireland CEO John Feehan.
“The Arena will be transformative for Irish indoor sport, providing state-of-the-art facilities that will be on a par with our European counterparts.”
“We haven’t finalised when the Arena redevelopment will commence, with financing a key element and we remain hopeful of Government support for the project through the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF).”
“We expect news on whether we’ve been successful with our LSSIF application in the coming weeks and that will help inform our next steps.”
“This is an important milestone for basketball in Ireland,” added Chair Seamus Donnelly.
“Having a new Arena is a key part of our 5-year Strategic Plan and is essential to help maintain the growth of the sport. Our registered playing population increased 21.5% last year alone and revenue generated from the Arena will filter down to every area of the game.”
“Overall, this is also a huge boost for Irish indoor sport; the new Arena will provide a best-in-class amenity, which is crucial as we all continue to strive for excellence.”
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