Moyna’s vision for DCU’s new €15 million indoor Croke Park

DCU’s Professor Niall Moyna is optimistic about the recent announcement by the University to create an indoor version of Croke Park pitch at the north Dublin sports facility, St Clare’s.

“It is an important addition to the north Dublin area, where primary schools can play competitions, inter-county teams can train and valuable research can be done,” said Niall Moyna, a Professor for Health and Human performance at DCU.

“We will have minimal use of the facility possibly six to eight hours a week and it’s a long week.” he added.

Subject to planning permission, the 10,000 seater stadium will be fully enclosed and will include a running track, transparent roof and the latest technology.

This new €15 million project has been submitted to Fingal County Council with a hope to begin construction over the next 24 months.

“It will be a national research centre for Gaelic games. We have been carrying out numerous scientific projects in DCU on the clothes we wear during sports… this will allow us to identify players performances within a controlled environment.

“When you’re at different games outside, one day it is sunny and the next day it is raining, which show different results.

“Under this controlled environment it will allow us to research the optimum way to train, play games and analyse teams, to get the best out of them.

“If it means training five times a week can be cut back to two, it would be phenomenal for players involved.” said Moyna.

This project is fronted by former GAA President Peter Quinn, a brother of Ireland’s well-known businessman, Sean, and a respected financial advisor in his own right, who played an instrumental role in the crucial stages of the redevelopment of Croke Park during his term of office between 1991 and 1994.

Quinn revealed the plans in a speech at the announcement of Bank of Ireland’s five-year sponsorship deal with the DCU GAA academy. Quinn mentioned a completion date of 2013 for the new state of the art indoor facility at St. Clares.

When asked if it will be the first of its kind in the world, Professor Moyna said: “This centre will be home to world class research, which is something the future will depend on, It will have a leading edge and it will be to the best of international standards.” said Moyna.

A DCU stop is being planned for the Luas’ new Metro North route which also has an unconfirmed completion date of 2013. If this project gets the go ahead it could see the north of Dublin playing host to many major sporting events of the future.

“Slowly but surely GAA is been dragged into the modern era and as Pat Daly said: ‘it’s a huge win win situation as no one can predict the future’

“In the current economic climate maybe we’re going to have to sit back and say well, hold on, we just can’t do everything we wanted to do but you have to have that vision, a bold vision to do something that nobody else has done before and bring it to a whole new level.” said Moyna

The funding will play a significant role in that it will take double digit millions to see this project complete. Funding will be sought after as soon as the project has been approved by Fingal County Council.

Meanwhile, the Dublin footballers will be working with Moyna on the DCU campus for the 2009 season.