Stadium rights are up for sale

THE naming rights are to be sold for Limerick’s new multi-million euro Greyhound Stadium.
The €18 million stadium is due to open next autumn and the Irish Greyhound Board are hoping to follow in the footsteps of the O2 in Dublin and the Aviva Stadium by auctioning off the naming rights for the new track.
“We are talking to existing sponsors about the long-term naming rights, but we also wanted to cast the net a little wider and see what interest there is in what will be the biggest new venue in Munster sport for a number of years,” confirmed Orla Strumble, Head of Marketing at the Irish Greyhound Board.
“The new stadium in Limerick is already creating a real buzz around the mid-west,” said Strumble.
“We will work with those who are interested to put together a package that works for both sides. There has not been a value placed on the naming rights as yet. This is something which we will come to as the needs and requirements of potential sponsors are explored.”
The new stadium on Limerick’s Dock Road is located on the old racecourse site at Greenpark and is expected to open in September 2010.
Following delivery of the steel girders last month, building work has gathered pace and is now well over ground on the grandstand with office buildings and clearly visible to passing traffic.
The new greyhound stadium is to cost €18 million and promises to create 100 permanent jobs and will host over 1,750 races a year and have a capacity attendance of 2,900. The state-of-the-art facility will feature a main stand with viewing and dining areas as well as a number of bars. The stadium will boast a 190 seat restaurant, private hospitality suites and gallery bars.
Information about the proposed naming rights have been published on the Irish government’s e-tenders website and according to the Irish Greyhound Board there have already been a number of queries.
The board, a state company responsible for running greyhound racing, is hoping to sell the naming rights for the new stadium, for an initial five-year period.

Jerome O’Connell