Mallow Track Funding Approved - November 2024
€2 Million LSIF Funding Approved for Mallow Track
Mallow
Proposed Track Development
The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media has announced that a grant of €2 million in Large-Scale Sports Infrastructure Funding (LSIF) has been awarded to Cork County Council to build an athletics track, and other facilities, at Carhookeal, Mallow
Speaking today, on RTE Radio 1, Thomas Byrne, T.D. Minister at The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media said that the project grants announced today, including Mallow, would be delivered in the shorter term, as they would be funded on a "Use it, or Lose it" basis
The track will be a Olympic-size 8-lane 400-metre running track, and will be floodlit, to facilitate year-round operation. The track infield will be developed for Long Jump, Triple Jump, High Jump, Pole Vault and Javelin, while the throwing events; Shot Put, Discus and Hammer will also be facilitated
The planned track is only the first stage of a much larger sporting facility at Carhookeal, which will then include an indoor basketball court, facilities for track and field sports, soccer and rugby pitches, astroturf and tennis courts.
Councillor Gearóid Murphy said: “This running track will be a full Olympic-sized track of 400 metres and eight lanes. It will be the first of its kind in North Cork and in fact one of the very few running tracks of this standard in all of Cork. We saw in the Olympics recently the amazing potential which Ireland has for athletics and this facility will be a huge boost to promoting sport and healthy living across the county"
“I would like to congratulate Mallow Athletics Club, the North Cork Athletics Club and of course the officials in Cork County Council for their initiative and ambition in applying for this funding and bringing the project forward.”
“This was a heavily oversubscribed fund” “It was of the utmost importance to lobby everyone we could to secure the grant. I personally met the Minister for Sport Thomas Byrne over the summer and communicated to him the importance of this facility
“I also worked closely with Padraig O’Sullivan TD and my colleagues across all parties to leave no stone unturned in seeking this investment, so I am delighted to see everyone’s hard work now pay off”
"Well done to Mallow Athletics Club, North Cork Athletics Club, to all of the Council officials and to everyone involved for their hard work on this project. I can't wait to seeing these exciting new facilities delivered!"
Track Location
Location of Mallow Track at Carhookeal
Commentary
This track will be a game changer for athletics in Cork, and, in particular, the North Cork Area. Added to Bandon AC's track, which the club hopes to open in summer 2025, the Carrigaline track development and the East Cork (CEASC), Bantry and Curraheen, Cork track proposals, there are other new facilities in various stages of development in West Muskerry, St Catherine's and Bweeng. All of these facilities mean that these are exciting times for athletics in the region - it will take a few years to complete these works, but the end-product will, hopefully, lead to an increase in athletics participantion, and also increase competition and standards across and between clubs. The increased number, and location, of tracks will also facilitate more leagues, divisional, county and regional events
Technical Offilials & Coaches
Increased participation and competition will require more Coaches and Technical Officials, and now is the time for these to be developed. Covid and the closures of both the Mardyke and MTU tracks were certainly unhelpful in this context, but with MTU track back in commision, clubs and individuals should 'plough ahead' with Coach and Official education plans
While Coach Education is, and has been on-going, AAI Mid West / South Athletics Development Officer, Olivia Scully-Hahne, has been asked to look into holding some Technical Official courses in MTU, rather than in Athlone, which would facilitate more people here in Cork, and many in the Munster region
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