New High-Performance Indoor Facility Proposed for CIT
New Indoor High-Performance Athletics Facility at CIT
Last Monday, July 22nd, at a function to launch the 68th Cork City Sports, details of a joint CIT - Athletics Ireland venture to develop a new Indoor High-Performance Centre were unveiled.
Hamish Adams, CEO Athletics Ireland, Cllr Tony O’Connell, Ger Harrington, BAM, and Cllr Padraig O’Sullivan. Photocredit: Dan Linehan
Plans are at an advance stage to develop a €12.3m High-Performance indoor athletics facility, at Cork Institute of Technology (CIT). The facility will include a sprints track, along with Pole Vault and Jump areas.
An application has been made for Funding is being sought under the Department of Transport, Sport and Tourism’s Large Scale Infrastructure Fund (LLSIF). The complete development includes a two-storey multi-purpose sports arena, located south of the existing outdoor Athletics Track and will comprise eight courts, fitness studios, a health and fitness facility, along with dressing rooms.
The Athletics Ireland extension will add an indoor running track, pole vault and jump facilities to the new complex.
Hamish Adams, CEO, Athletics Ireland
Hamish Adams, CEO of Athletics Ireland said that the facility would be a “massive boost” for athletics, and sport in general, in Cork.
“We’ve got an application in for €12.3m funding for a project we want to develop in conjunction with CIT”
“CIT is proceeding with a new gym, in the next few months, and we want to extend that to include a new sports hall, pole vault area, long jump and high jump areas, and a running track. It’s a huge development and it would be a massive boost for sport in Cork, not only athletics but all sport within the college and the local community”
Webmaster's Comment
Several months ago, when I first heard of the proposed Indoor Track, I was "drooling". Indoor athletics competition would finally be a reality in Cork. Such hopes were swiftly dashed when a well-placed source said "No. It won't be an indoor track" (Like Athlone or Abbotstown). "It'll be a straight track" A full size 200m indoor track "would be a 'white elephant', and can't be justified." I suggested that, at least, we could "hold 100m events". The response was equally deflating " It won't be 100m...It may be 80m"
So there you have it. It is NOT an indoor arena for indoor competition.
Nevertheless, this is a very welcome development and should prove very attractive to Vaulters and jumpers, in particular. Currently, many Cork athletes competing in Jumps must travel to Nenagh for event-specific training, so this facility should make life easier for them. Additionally, it should make the Jumps & Vault events more attractive to up-and-coming athletes
Viewed solely on economic grounds, an indoor track would certainly be extremely hard to justify. However a full-size indoor track would, one would hope, be a huge attraction in Cork, and dove-tail in with both existing and proposed facilities in the County. An indoor T&F meet would add to the existing annual Cork City International Sports, perhaps, whether associated or not, both an indoor and an outdoor International meet, in Cork, would create synergy - be greater than the sum of the two individual T&F Meets
Developing a full-size Indoor Track, in Cork, will require an awful lot of dedication, commitment and hard work, from, at least, a core of such individuals, and will not be easy. Along with these traits, a vision of how to make it happen will be a key factor. As the source quoted above suggested, an Indoor Track, has massive potential to become both a 'White Elephant' and a massive drain on resources. Even when developed, there is potential for it to be idle a lot of the time. However, with the advent of Large Scale Infrastructure Fund (LLSIF), from the Department of Transport, Sport and Tourism, there is far greater scope to build one. Sharing the facility with compatible sports and activities, the venue could and should be capable of sustaining extremely high usage, justifying the development. Other ways and means of generating support revenue would certainly help. Developing a full-size Indoor Track in Cork is not something for the faint-hearted! Anyone interested?
In Summary.... A very welcome development - one that adds to the available facilities in Cork.... BUT.....We'll be waiting quite a while before we see an indoor athletics T&F meet in Cork! However... If we don't dream about it, and look for ways and means to develop one... It may never happen.
