An Taoiseach, Mr. Brian Cowen TD, officially opened the new Aviva stadium on Friday 14th May 2010. The stadium, which will be the new home for Ireland’s international rugby and soccer teams, is a joint venture by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).
Funding of €191 million was provided by the government for the project which came in slightly under the budgeted figure of €410 million.
Planning permission for the new stadium was received in March 2007, with work on the site beginning two months later with the demolition of the old Lansdowne Road stadium.
From the start of demolition through to the handing over of the stadium to the FAI and IRFU, the project took just under three years to complete.
The result is a state-of-the-art 50,000-seater stadium which, while making a bold architectural statement, does not impact environmentally on the Dublin skyline. The stadium, which is on four levels on three sides, sweeps down to one level at the northern end, in respect to the housing at that end of the ground.
Mr. Philip Brown, chairman of LRSDC, thanked all those involved in the project, noting that over the course of the three years, over 6,000 people had been involved, with up to 1,300 people being on site at the busiest times. In all, some four million working hours were spent on the project.
Speaking at the opening, Mr. Cowen said that he believed the new stadium would be of major economic benefit, not only to the city of Dublin, but to the country as a whole.
The IRFU and FAI have estimated that a minimum of five soccer and five rugby internationals a year, could be worth upwards of €250 million to the economy.
The first fixtures in the new stadium will see a Connacht/Munster rugby selection take on a Leinster/ Ulster selection on 31st July, followed by an Airtricity league team playing Manchester United on 4th August.
The first international will see Ireland’s soccer team play Argentina on 11th August. The first rugby international will see Ireland face current word champions South Africa on 6th November.
The general admission areas (level 1 to 5), serviced by 18 bars, 16 food outlets, and two confectionary units, will serve up to 70,000 pints of stout and lager, 3,000 hot whiskeys, 2,000 portions of fish and chips, 4,000 specialty Aviv ‘gourmet burgers’, and 5,000 hot beef sandwiches.
The state-of-the-art beer systems installed are capable of dispensing a pint in four seconds, with the ability across the stadium, of dispensing over 2,000 pints per minute.
John Callaghan, president of the IRFU said: “This venue has been the home of Irish rugby since 1878 and rooted in those 132 years is the celebration and joy for the Irish rugby community, that we are back in our spiritual home”.
The unveiling of this magnificent new facility marks the dawning of an exciting new era on the Irish sporting landscape.
I went along on the opening day and, wow, it is truly magnificent. As a local resident, I have seen the demolition of the old Lansdowne Road stadium, and like many of you, I couldn’t help but remember, some of the great rugby matches I went to over the years.
Three years on from the day the diggers went in, to the completion of this state-of-the-art Aviva stadium, there is so much to take in. I was there for three hours, and did not manage to see everything!
As I sat looking down on the pitch, I could just about imagine 50,000 fans filling all those seats. You just know the atmosphere will be electric.
At night time, when the stadium is all lit up, take the time to stand on Ringsend Bridge, which is the best vantage point, and from there you will see just how magnificent it really is. I’m looking forward to going back.