Tolka Park
Encyclopedia
Tolka Park is an Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 ground located in the north Dublin suburb of Drumcondra
Drumcondra, Dublin
Drumcondra is a residential area and inner suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is administered by Dublin City Council.The River Tolka and the Royal Canal flow through the area.-History:...

, on the northern banks of the River Tolka
River Tolka
The River Tolka is one of Dublin's three main rivers, flowing from County Meath to Fingal, within the old County Dublin, and through the north of Dublin city, Ireland. It is one of Dublin's three main rivers, the others being the Liffey and the Dodder...

. It is currently the home ground of League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

 club Shelbourne
Shelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....

. It holds a capacity crowd of around 6,000 and has hosted national cup finals along with international matches, Champions League qualifiers
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

, UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...

 and was a venue for the 2000 Rugby League World Cup
2000 Rugby League World Cup
The 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...


History

Over the years, seven different League of Ireland clubs have used Tolka Park for home league matches on a regular basis. They are Drumcondra, Shelbourne
Shelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....

, Dolphin
Dolphin F.C. (Dublin)
Dolphin F.C. is a former Irish football club, originally based in the Dublin suburb of Dolphin's Barn. They played in the League of Ireland between 1930 and 1937. In 1935 they were league champions...

, Home Farm
Home Farm F.C.
Home Farm Football Club is an Irish football club based in Whitehall, Dublin. Originally founded in 1928, the club joined the League of Ireland in 1972 after merging with Drumcondra. Following this merger they were briefly known as Home Farm Drumcondra...

, Dublin City
Dublin City F.C.
Dublin City Football Club was an Irish association football club that played in the League of Ireland. They were formed in 1999 after a split within Home Farm Everton and they originally played as Home Farm Fingal before changing their name for the 2001–02 season...

, Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers F.C.
Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...

 and St James Gate F.C..

Drumcondra F.C.

Tolka Park was originally home to Drumcondra, who in the 1950s and 1960s were one of the most popular teams in Dublin. The ground hosted its first floodlit game on the 30th of March 1953. However "Drums" unexpectedly went out of business in 1972, vacating the ground.

Home Farm F.C.

After the demise of Drumcondra, Home Farm
Home Farm F.C.
Home Farm Football Club is an Irish football club based in Whitehall, Dublin. Originally founded in 1928, the club joined the League of Ireland in 1972 after merging with Drumcondra. Following this merger they were briefly known as Home Farm Drumcondra...

 moved into the ground. However, Home Farm never drew large crowds and Tolka fell into disrepair (though it did host the replay of the 1984 FAI Cup final).

Shelbourne F.C.

In 1989, Shelbourne, who had played home games regularly in Tolka during the fifties, sixties, seventies, and early eighties, acquired Home Farm's long term lease from Dublin Corporation
Dublin Corporation
Dublin Corporation , known by generations of Dubliners simply as The Corpo, is the former name given to the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin between 1661 and 1 January 2002...

 on the ground. Home Farm moved to their own ground in nearby Whitehall. Shelbourne invested heavily in the stadium, converting it into Ireland's first all-seater stadium and building a new stand behind the Drumcondra end goal in 1999.

The first ever League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

 match to be broadcast live on TV was a fixture between Shelbourne and Derry City
Derry City F.C.
Derry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Derry, Northern Ireland. It plays in the League of Ireland Premier Division...

, staged at Tolka Park during the 1996/97 season.

Shamrock Rovers F.C.

In 1987, the then owners of Shamrock Rovers
Shamrock Rovers F.C.
Shamrock Rovers Football Club are a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the most successful club in Irish football history. The club have won the League of Ireland title a record 17 times and the FAI Cup a record 24...

, the Kilcoyne family, attempted to move the club to Tolka Park. Rovers played there for a season, but the games were boycotted by their fans, who were trying to save Glenmalure Park
Glenmalure Park
Glenmalure Park, often simply known as "Milltown", was a football stadium on the Southside of Dublin city in Ireland. Located in the suburb of Milltown, it was home to Shamrock Rovers from 1926 to 1987, when it was sold to property developers by the club's directors...

 from demolition. Rovers were later on to return to the ground which they shared for a time with Shelbourne before eventually moving into the Tallaght Stadium
Tallaght Stadium
Tallaght Stadium is a football stadium in the Southside suburb of Tallaght, Dublin. Shamrock Rovers originally announced details of the stadium back in July 1996...

 in 2009. Rovers' home tie against Sligo Rovers during the 2009 season was moved to Tolka Park amid safety concerns due to construction onsite at Tallaght before the club friendly against Real Madrid.

Other Uses

Tolka Park has staged two full internationals for the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....

. Both matches were friendlies against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

. The stadium hosted the first Setanta Cup
Setanta Sports Cup
The Setanta Sports Cup, commonly known as just the Setanta Cup, is a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland...

 final when Linfield
Linfield F.C.
Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....

 defated Shelbourne. The Irish Rugby League Team
Ireland national rugby league team
The Ireland national rugby league team, known as the Wolfhounds, represent the island of Ireland in rugby league football. The team is organized by Rugby League Ireland and are accredited as an affiliate member of the Rugby League International Federation...

 have also played home games at the ground and hosted one game of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup
2000 Rugby League World Cup
The 2000 Rugby League World Cup was the twelfth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and was held during October and November of that year in Great Britain, Ireland and France...

 with Ireland playing Aotearoa Māori the game ending 30-16 to Ireland. In recognition of the improvement made to stadium, a Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....

 senior international match against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...

 was played there in 1993, as were youth, League of Ireland XI
League of Ireland XI
The League of Ireland XI, known as of 2010 as the Airtricity League XI for sponsorship reasons, is the representative select team for the League of Ireland which operates in the Republic of Ireland.The select first played the Scottish League XI in 1938....

 and Republic of Ireland B
Republic of Ireland B national football team
Republic of Ireland B is the reserve team of the Republic of Ireland national football team. There are no competitions for B teams. However since 1957 the Football Association of Ireland has arranged occasional friendlies.-Early B internationals:...

 games. From 1999 to 2002 it hosted the FAI Cup
FAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...

 final, until the fixture was shifted to Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...

. Tolka hosted two games in the 2011 UEFA Regions' Cup
2011 UEFA Regions' Cup
--------- Group B :--------- Group C :---------Best runners-up:1 The competition rules state that the two best runners-up qualify to the intermediary round, with only the results of the runners-up against the winners and third-ranked team in each group being taken into account...

.

In September 1939 it held boxing championship bouts http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1939/0901/Pg011.html#Ar01110.

Richmond Road

The Richmond Road Stand or Main Stand runs the length of the north side of the pitch. The Technical area
Technical area
A technical area in association football, is where a manager, other coaching personnel and substitutes are allowed to occupy during a match.The area, where people may stand or sit, includes the dugout, bench and a marked zone adjacent to the pitch....

 is located at the stand as well as the Box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....

, Stadium Bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

 and First aid
First aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...

 area. The stand is named after Richmond Road which is directly behind the stand.

Riverside Stand

The Riverside Stand runs the length of the south side of the pitch. Today it is mainly used for Broadcasting
Broadcasting of sports events
The broadcasting of sports events is the coverage of sports as a television program, on radio and other broadcasting media. It usually involves one or more sports commentators describing the events as they happen.-United States:...

 and seating Away fans. It is named after the River Tolka
River Tolka
The River Tolka is one of Dublin's three main rivers, flowing from County Meath to Fingal, within the old County Dublin, and through the north of Dublin city, Ireland. It is one of Dublin's three main rivers, the others being the Liffey and the Dodder...

 which is nearby.

Drumcondra Stand

The Drumcondra Stand or New Stand is located behind the goal at the west end of the ground and it is the most recent stand to open in the ground. The stand is named after the town of Drumcondra
Drumcondra, Dublin
Drumcondra is a residential area and inner suburb on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is administered by Dublin City Council.The River Tolka and the Royal Canal flow through the area.-History:...

 which is located behind the stand. The Ultras
Ultras
Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European followers of football teams...

 within the club's support base currently congregate in the Drumcondra Stand. The Drumcondra stand also houses the dressing rooms. The club shop is located beside the stand.

Ballybough End

The Ballybough End is located behing the goal at the east end of the ground. It is named after the town of Ballybough
Ballybough
Ballybough is a district of north Dublin, Ireland situated northeast of Summerhill, between the Royal Canal and the River Tolka. Adjacent areas are North Strand, Fairview and Drumcondra/Clonliffe. The name derives from the Irish baile "town" and bocht "poor"...

 which is located behind the stand. The Ballybough stand is largely unused but occasionally houses away supporters.

Popular Culture

  • The ground has appeared in the fictional football drama Dream Team
    Dream Team (TV series)
    Dream Team is a British television series produced by Hewland International which aired on Sky1 and Sky3 from 1997 to 2007; it chronicled the on-field and off-field affairs of the fictional Harchester United Football Club....

     when Harchester United were drawn to play Shelbourne in the UEFA Cup
    UEFA Cup
    The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

    .
  • The ground appeared in football comedy Fran where Fran's club St Peter's United lost a cup final held at Tolka Park.

Future

Over the last number of years, Shelbourne have been planning to relocate to a new ground especially since the Tolka river flooded at the start of the decade and caused extensive damage to Tolka Park and the surrounding areas. Plans for a new stadium in Finglas
Finglas
-See also:* List of towns and villages in Ireland* List of abbeys and priories in Ireland...

 and Swords
Swords, Dublin
Swords is the county town of Fingal in Ireland. It is about 13 km north of Dublin city centre and is part of its commuter belt.- History :...

 have come to nothing, as has an FAI-backed proposed groundshare with North Dublin neighbours Bohemians
Bohemian F.C.
Bohemian F.C. , more commonly referred to as Bohemians, is a professional football club from Dublin, Ireland. Bohemians compete in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland and are the third most successful club in League of Ireland football history, having won the League of Ireland title 11...

.
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