Delaney hails Limerick's progress

Limerick will make their long-awaited comeback at the Garryowen venue in March, having left in 1984, and Delaney was in the Treaty City on Wednesday to meet the design and construction team at the site.

The Markets Field closed its doors to greyhound racing in 2010 and the Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP) has overseen the plans for the Shannonsiders to return home for football.

That dream will be realised in March when they kick off their SSE Airtricity League Premier Division campaign there, and Delaney admitted that he had been given a “huge lift” by his visit to a setting where he enjoyed “tremendous memories”.

“First of all it’s brilliant for the league, but brilliant for Limerick,” Delaney said. “A lot of people deserve a lot of credit.

“As a child I grew up in Tipperary Town and my Dad was involved with Waterford. As the Chairman of Waterford he would bring me to all the games and coming here to the Markets Field were huge events. They were real Munster Derbies, tremendous games.

“Your best memories are always as a child and there were so many derbies here. They were tremendous memories for me. Today is not the warmest day but I go to many grounds around the country and you’ve got to have that vision to see what is going to happen here. 

“I know that come March we’re going to have a beautiful stand here and Limerick Football Club will come home. It didn’t happen by chance. Anyone who was involved in the partnership here that has ensured that Limerick come home deserves huge credit.

“Coming in here today brings back great memories. We can all speak about it today but the evidence is in March when Limerick come home. This is the soul of Limerick football and it’s a hugely positive step for the club and a hugely positive step for the league in general, so I’m thrilled.

“Today has given me a huge lift. I’ll come here for the opening game when Limerick play because it’s important to show that it is a landmark day for Irish soccer when Limerick do come home.

“Some people often say that well done is better than well said. Pat O’Sullivan is well done because people talk about putting money in and talk about doing things but Pat has always delivered. I think he deserves an enormous amount of credit for what he has done for the football club.

“People who were lost to Limerick soccer will hopefully come back to Limerick soccer, in the region as well. I hope that people from Clare, Tipperary and North Kerry will see this as their home for League of Ireland football.

“We will help Limerick whatever way we can because it’s in everybody’s benefit that there’s a strong Limerick soccer club. Pat has done his bit in terms of putting his money in and raising it from the ashes.

“The JP McManus Fund deserves an awful lot of credit for purchasing the ground and helping to redevelop it, and Keith Wood is doing tremendous work here. Whatever we can do to ensure that this stadium is rocking to League of Ireland matches certainly we will be doing.”

O’Sullivan praised JP McManus for his support in the redevelopment of the stadium and he is delighted to see it now “living, breathing again”.

“The most important part of it from a total Limerick perspective – be it commercial, community, everything – is that the Markets Field now is back up living, breathing again,” O’Sullivan said.

“For that, I have to acknowledge JP McManus. I went to see JP and I talked to him about it. Like he has been for so many people in this city, for all elements of life, he has been very supportive.

“Immediately he agreed because he could see the positivity of it. Along with the Trust and LEDP, led by Gerry Boland and with Keith Wood, we are now pleased to say that Limerick senior soccer is coming back to the Markets Field.

“The club had a problem in the past with its credibility probably. It has been a big problem for people like myself to rebuild that credibility and trust, but I think over the past three or four years we’ve shown that we can deliver and we’ve done that now.

“It will be fantastic to see the Markets Field reopened again for senior soccer, as well as other sports but with Limerick as the main tenant. When I went to JP, I made the point to him that I wanted this place to be a municipal stadium where it could be a catalyst to bring all four corners of Limerick together.

“It’s a huge tool then in improving and eliminating anti-social behaviour and as a community making us much better as people. I’m delighted to see the Markets Field back and I’m delighted that Limerick FC has played a role in making it happen.

“Now, we really do need corporate Limerick and all of Limerick to come behind it. It’s one thing for a small number of people to bring this project to a level but we need to build a new stadium, we need to sustain it and we can only do that by everybody coming in behind it.”

During his visit, Delaney was at Hogan Park to see the work of Hill Celtic FC, while he was also given a tour of Limerick FC’s fantastic new facility and base in Bruff.