Kerry soccer club set to improve long-term playing facilities for members
Contracts between the club and Tralee-based company PST Sports were recently signed paving the way for a new all-weather pitch at its club grounds.
It's taken over three years of hard work and organisation just getting to this point. Such a facility will enable players train and host multiple games throughout the winter months.
The overall cost of a state-of-the art Astro pitch is expected to top €500,000. The club applied for Sports Capital Funding and received €100,000 – 50 per cent of what it applied for.
Club members have been phenomenal in supporting various fundraising activities and training fees that have helped raise money for the project. The financial balance of the pitch will be paid for through a combination of future loans and fundraising.
Given that Tralee Dynamos cater for adults and children including a new academy that accommodates over 100 girls, the club is disappointed not to have received more in the way of grant assistance for its facilities. By the time interest loans are repaid the new all-weather pitch will be 70 per cent member funded.
'It's great news for the club. We're targeting a finish date of the middle of September. There has been a big push over the last few months to try and have it done before the start of next winter,' said club treasurer, Fergal O'Shea.
The club plays through the winter and usually by mid-season its two grass pitches are unplayable. This is due to a combination of weather and four or five teams playing on the same surface within days.
With the club active mostly at evenings and weekends, an opportunity exists for community organisations to use the facility by day. Tralee Dynamos has a longstanding relationship with Kerry Parents & Friends Association.
'We contacted them and said they can have free access to it during the day. It is a great organisation and this would be an acknowledgment of the work they do. Hopefully, this is a relationship that can be built on with better club house upgrades in the future. This is something we will be actively pursuing,' said Fergal.
'But having an all-weather facility gives us flexibility. We can train every night of the week if we want and have four or five matches on a Saturday without having to consider its impact on the pitch. This is huge for us.
"A big call out must go to our members who over the last three years paid their contributions through training fees. This put a lot of trust in us to deliver. A huge thanks to them. It's great for them to be able to see this is finally happening,' he said.
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