On 11th February I had the honour of deputising for the Lord Mayor at the opening of the new All Weather Pitch at Commons Street, off Sheriff Street.This wonderful new facility boasts an astro turf surface, Futsal goalposts, a rebound enclosure and floodlights.
The floodlighting will allow the five local clubs to train into the long winter evenings and at weekends.
The area is fortunate to have 5 local clubs, both soccer and gaelic with a total of about 9 Adult and 20 junior teams.
The area also has some very active ladies teams. Olivia O’Toole the captain of the Ireland Senior Ladies Team and the Republic Of Irelands leading goalscorer works in the St Laurence O’Toole Community Centre next door. Maybe some of the young schoolgirls from St Lawrence O’Toole Girls Primary School who were at the launch will follow in her footsteps in the years to come
The Sheriff Street community has endured more than its fair share of trouble over the years, but we are also very fortunate to have so many committed individuals willing to volunteer in clubs and to pass on their love of sport to the next generation.
Dublin City Council, Dublin Docklands and the FAI were all involved in this project with the local community. All deserve great credit. Hopefully the pitch will be enjoyed and used by many local and future national and international football stars (both men and women) in the years to come
