COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF LUCAN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

MOTION NO. 8

MOTION: Councillor W. Lavelle

"That this Area Committee expresses its thanks to the Public Realm section for the support provided to date to Arthur Griffith Park FC, including the recent provision of a secure compound for storage of demountable goalposts; and in seeking to support the ongoing development of the club, requests the Chief Executive to engage with the club to examine the possible provision of portable lighting to allow the club to conduct training sessions at evening/night-time". 

REPORT:

The gratitude of the Area Committee is welcomed and will be conveyed to the staff who have been working with Arthur Griffith Park FC on the pitches and facilities in Griffeen Valley Park.

The Council does not provide portable lighting to football clubs to enable them to undertake evening / night-time training.

The use of portable lighting for evening /night time training leads to concentrated wear and tear on grass pitches and training areas. Where this activity takes place during the late autumn / winter / early spring months, it coincides with the poorest conditions for grass growth where daylight hours are short, rainfall levels and water tables are high, drainage is slow and ground temperatures are low. All of these factors impact adversely on the ability of grass to recover from excess wear and tear. 

Any increased wear to grass surfaces at this time of the year results in the deterioration of the grass sward which in turn leads to ongoing problems such as loss of grass cover, compaction and weed growth throughout the rest of the year. Where grass playing surfaces are damaged at this time of the year, there is an increased probability that such surfaces will become unplayable for an extended part of the year. Where significant damage has occurred, they may have to be taken out of play completely for anything up to two years to enable repairs and recovery to take place. 

For the reasons outlined above, the Council does not favour the use of evening / night time training on grass pitches or training areas in public parks.