COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN/PALMERSTOWN/NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

MOTION NO. 10

MOTION: Councillor Shane Moynihan

That this Area Committee calls for the piloting of a "Mobile Floodlights Scheme" in the Lucan, Palmerstown and North Clondalkin Area which would be focused on maximising the usability of Council Playing Pitches during the winter months.

REPORT:

The use of mobile floodlights will give rise to an intensification of activities taking place on pitches and training areas within parks which currently doesn’t exist. This increased use would coincide with the poorest conditions for grass growth whereby daylight hours are short, rainfall levels are high, drainage is poor and as the season continues temperatures drop. During the grass growing season, pitches are capable of enduring extra play as the recovery and regrowth rate of the grass is high. The recovery and regrowth outside of the main growing season is not sufficient to sustain this additional use.

Our sports pitch strategy findings (carried out in 2020) whereby a ‘Good’ Standard (the highest standard) pitch has a maximum of 3.5 matches per week. We would be concerned about the objective to maximise use when what is required, to ensure the on-going quality and health of the pitch, is its optimal use. We see this as a balance between usage, recovery and maintenance. Our sports pitch strategy found that very few of our pitches are being under-utilised, some of them are suffering from over-use and were thus of poorer quality.

Any increase in activities using floodlights will result in the deterioration of the grass sward which would lead to ongoing problems throughout the playing season. This could potentially lead to a situation whereby a higher level of matches are cancelled as pitches become unavailable for play.

For the reasons outlined above there are no proposals to pilot the use of a mobile floodlights scheme.