Greyhound Stadium opens its doors on Friday night

LIMERICK’S new €18 million state-of-the-art Greyhound Stadium will open its doors this Friday night.
Years of waiting and disappointment will come to an end when the traps come up for the opening race which is timed for 7.45pm.
There will be a 12-race card on Friday and racegoers will also be able to enjoy a giant screen which will show the Republic of Ireland European Championship qualifier against Russia.
The new stadium, on Limerick’s Dock Road, is located on the old racecourse site at Greenpark will create 100 permanent jobs and will host over 1,750 races a year and have a capacity of 2,900.
The state-of-the-art facility will feature a main stand with viewing and dining areas as well as four bars.
The stadium will boast a 190-seat restaurant, private hospitality suites and gallery bars.
The restaurant and both corporate suites, with a total of 80 covers, are fully booked for this Friday’s first night of racing.
The general admission charge to the stadium is €10 with a 50 per cent reduction for OAP’s and students. Turnstiles will open at 6.30pm.
There are to be two race meetings each week at Limerick from this Friday.
Aside from the normal Friday and Saturday night, there will also be three extra Thursday meetings in the run-in to Christmas - December 2, December 9, December 16.
It is planned to run a bus service from the Market’s Field to the new stadium on race nights while there is secured car parking facilities for 450 vehicles at Greenpark free of charge.
“The racing team has moved in, all the systems are in place and we are having two mock nights at the stadium. We will have four mock races each night that will allow us to test everything, from the operation of the traps, the track, the tote, the restaurant, the bars, the toilets, everything,” said Stadium General Manager Declan O’Halloran.
“October 8 is really a trial run to allow staff and patrons become accustomed to our new surroundings.
“The official opening is scheduled for October 22 when we will have a special entertainment programme on offer,” he said.
“The place is looking great with all the major ground works completed and now it is just a case of applying the finished touches, such as the trimming of the carpets and touching up bits of paint,” Declan O’Halloran added.

Jerome O’Connell