A series of sports pitch works have been completed in south Dublin to deliver some of the first sand based pitches in the district.

Mayor of South Dublin County Council Cllr Mark Ward officially opened the pitches at Firhouse on Monday 25 March.

Constructed by CRL and designed by Sports Labs Ltd, the sand based pitches are specifically designed to cater for maximum use, to provide for active recreation and encourage active lifestyles.

During his visit to Firhouse, Cllr Mark Ward also performed a sod-turning ceremony on an upgrade to an adjacent pitch.

-- Advertisement --

These upgrades were design by STRI Ltd and will be built over the coming months by Haffey Sports Grounds Ltd.

Mr Peter Lougheed, Co-Chairman of Firhouse Carmel Football Club, who are the current users of the pitches under license from South Dublin County Council, said: "Firhouse Carmel FC has been one of the cornerstones of the community in Firhouse since 1974 offering soccer to children from the ages of five to 18 and we are delighted with the continued investment from the Council in the area. These pitches will be used for our Academy and small-sided games teams up to the age of 12 and we have over 180 children of our 300 members facilitated in these teams. The development of the Academy has been one of the success stories of our club over the past six years and the superb quality of the playing surface will afford the players the best opportunity to showcase their skills and enjoy the games."

(CM/JG)