The Dublin football pitch which produced numerous sports stars could be turned into housing.
Residents say they are deeply worried about the potential loss of a vital football training ground in Dublin’s north inner city. Plans are in place to develop a green space near the Five Lamps, known locally as the Strand pitch. Locals fear that losing the pitch would be damaging for future generations of Irish sporting talent. The site lies in the so-called Golden Mile and has played a role in the development of well known athletes such as Troy Parrott, Wes Hoolahan, Keith Treacy, Graham Burke, Olivia O'Toole, and Kellie Harrington.
This play space was where these athlete's first introduction to sport was. Former Republic of Ireland international Keith Treacy has warned that the future of football in Dublin is at risk if green spaces continue to be built over. He said he is working with his friend, and local Social Democrats councillor Daniel Ennis, to try and save the pitch.
Speaking on Off The Ball, Treacy said that in the Dublin 1 area, it's extremely rare to find a pitch where you can just walk in and play a game of football. He said anywhere else you have to plan, and book in advance. Treacy mentioned the impact this pitch had on football legend Olivia O'Toole, saying that she was adamant, she said "people will look at that wall and say it's a wall. That wall saved my life".
Tracy emphasised the impact those words had on hi, saying "if you've got these legends of the game, and legends from the north inner city, telling you that pitches like these are pivotal ,why would we ever take away from it?"
Councillor Daniel Ennis says there must be a balance between providing housing and preserving places for young people to grow. He said "this is about building housing, yes, but it's also about building communities. This pitch and these spaces, these are more than spaces to play; they're places of hope, resilience, it's where friendships are built".
He mentioned the star athletes who utilised the Strand pitch; "Troy Parrott lives a stones throw from that pitch, Kellie Harrington lives facing the pitch, Keith Treacy, also Irish international, Graham Burke. All these names, their first interaction with sport was on this play space and on this pitch".
Ennis commented on the importance the Strand played in his own development, saying playing Sport on the green space, "kept me on the right track growing up around that area and that pitch was vital to me. If I wasn't on that pitch, I would have fallen to the challenges of the north inner city".
