Board’s Decision Leaves Kinsale AFC Sidelined

(JJ Hurley)

A decision by An Bord Pleanála to refuse planning permission last August for an ambitious AstroTurf facility for Kinsale AFC is now causing grave concern.

Trina O'Neill seen here receiving the Community Spirit Award in October last year, also in the picture are many club members who are worried that a lack of an astroturf pitch is impacting negatively on the club's progress.

In a bid to highlight the detrimental effect the decision is having on the future of the club’s playing activity, the soccer club has taken to social media.

In a post on its social media channels, the club outlined the current crisis it faces as a result of ongoing weather conditions, which have sidelined 18 teams and left 250 players kicking their heels at home.

The post, entitled The Impact of No Astro Facility at Kinsale AFC, suggests that young players are missing out on development, teams are losing momentum, and volunteers and coaches are losing valuable time.

Cllr Marie O’Sullivan, and former chairperson of the club, also added her concerns about the lack of such a facility.

‘I know how hard the members of the club work, and the decision by the board was a real setback last August. We are now left with kids with nothing to do, and I really feel for them,’ she said.

‘People are always complaining about young people getting up to no good, and here we have a situation where the opposite is true.’

 ‘Kinsale AFC is a really great community club, recognised through the funding it received from Leader to complete its unique clubhouse, which is also used by community groups and organisations.’

While the club did issue a statement on the board’s decision last August, suggesting it would be considering its options, the current level of rainfall has possibly resulted in the club taking to the public airwaves to express its frustration.

Possibly one of the longest-established football clubs in the county, Kinsale AFC celebrated its 90th anniversary this year, but its expected birthday present proved not to be the positive news it had anticipated.

Initially, Cork County Council had granted planning permission for the full-size astroturf pitch, along with the floodlights that would have complemented the two existing pitches at Madden Park, as well as the award-winning clubhouse overlooking Kinsale Harbour.

For a club that was, for many of its ninety years, without a home, the local authority had come to its aid, as it provided ground on the town’s old dump at Fort Hill in the early ’80s.

Locally, the addition of the proposed works was seen as very important to the town — not just for the soccer club, but also for the other clubs in the town — as there is currently no full astroturf facility available.

It is unlikely that there will be a quick solution to the club’s predicament anytime soon, leaving many of its rising stars waiting on the bench.

In outlining its decision last August, Board Pleanála set out its concerns as follow:

‘The Commission agreed with the Inspector’s assessment, that the proposed floodlighting would result in a negative impact on the historic setting of Charles Fort and agreed with the Inspector’s recommendation to refuse permission for the floodlighting.

'In deciding not to accept the Inspector's recommendation to grant permission for the all-weather facilities, the Commission considered that Charles Fort is a highly sensitive area from a visual impact perspective, and that the type, height and extent of the proposed metal fencing enclosing the upper-level pitch proximate to the entrance to the Fort and the scenic route would fail to maintain the existing open character of the area.’