National Football Exhibition to open as EURO 2020 draw comes to Dublin

The last few days have seen the FAI make managerial appointments that have huge influence on the Republic of Ireland qualification process for EURO 2020 and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to follow. 

The European qualifiers will come into sharp focus this weekend with the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying draw taking place in the Convention Centre in Dublin.

FAI CEO John Delaney will be the happy host with his new international manager Mick McCarthy on hand for post-draw reaction. If you need more information about the draw, check out our explainer below.

To celebrate the hosting of the qualifying draw this Sunday, the FAI and Dublin City Council are hosting Street Legends Community Football events, as well as a National Football Exhibition.

Street Legends Community Football Events

These will take place on Wednesday November 28 (Aughrim Street Sports Hall) and Thursday November 29 (Mountjoy Square South) both from 5pm to 8pm, and on Saturday December 1 (Commons Street) from 3pm to 6pm.

The event is free to attend and open to all ages and abilities. Participants will be able to test their skills against a wide range of football challenges. Irish and international football legends will also be in attendance to see what Dublin’s Street Legends have on offer. 

National Football Exhibition



This exhibition takes place at the Printworks in Dublin Castle. The interactive exhibition will run from Sunday December 2 till Sunday December 9 (from 11am to 7pm) to celebrate Irish football and 60 years of the UEFA European Championships.

There are six separate zones in the exhibition designed to give attendees an overview of the history of football in Ireland and the impact it has had, and continues to have, on communities around the country. 

Each zone is packed with memorabilia, interactive features, videos, quizzes and the opportunity for visitors to record their own commentary for some of Ireland’s greatest goals! 

  • Local - venues, legends, grassroots clubs, etc. 
  • National - League of Ireland/Women’s League
  • International - Irish senior teams 
  • Ireland at the EURO - Ireland’s previous appearances at the EURO
  • Community - Football for All, charity links, artwork from the local Fighting Words group 
  • EURO - history of the UEFA European Football Championship

This exhibition will tour the country before returning to Dublin in time for UEFA EURO 2020. The seven locations are Sligo (February 2019), Cork (March 2019), Limerick (June 2019), Waterford (August 2019), Donegal (September 2019), Louth (February 2020) and Galway (March 2020).

Attendees can download the National Football Exhibition App from the App Store and Google Play Store. 



Dalymount Park redevelopment

Meanwhile Dublin City Council are pushing on with the redevelopment of Dalymount Park. The Council are seeking a team to lead the construction project management services for the redevelopment. The estimated value for the project management contract is €650,000.00 with the contract to be awarded in the new year.

The council note that “the plan for Dalymount is to develop an all-seater municipal sports stadium with football as its primary use. The key drivers of the overall project are: 

• To secure the future of this historic site as a football ground for not just Dublin but Ireland.

• To provide the city with a Municipal Sports Stadium that will become a major sports, cultural, and community amenity for the city and will have some community use for local schools community groups, and clubs.

• The need for a modern stadium so the two anchor tenants Bohemian FC and Shelbourne FC can take advantage of the new facility to drive their respective clubs forward.

 

    About Macdara Ferris

    Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl … View Full Profile