Be part of something great as Shannonside Recreational Campus sets out a vision for the future

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT is the very simple message that went out from the launch of the Shannonside Recreational Campus on Thursday evening as sporting organisations and community groups from all over the region heard of plans that will revoluntise the sporting facilities in the entire region.

With a tagline of "Play, Perform, Participate" for the project, Thursday's public presentation of the plans for the Shannonside Recreational Campus (SRC) at the Carrick Business Campus heard that plans, dependent on funding, are already in place to have a full sized astro-turf pitch in place for the third quarter of 2024, a pitch that would accommodate soccer, gaelic games and rugby.

Phase two, which would commence in January 2025, would consist of the construction of an eight lane 400m running track with further plans for the development of changing rooms, spectator facilities and a playing pavilion for basketball and indoors sports.

Shannonside Recreational Campus launch this week

The full list of facilities envisaged for the SRC include:

• 400m 8 lane tartan track with all field sports catered for
• All weather full sized 4G pitch compliant for GAA, Soccer and Rugby
• Outdoor floodlit grass pitch
• Indoor Pavilion
• Two Indoor Basketball courts
• Hurling Wall
• Outdoor & Indoor Changing Rooms
• Car & Bus Parking

Addressing the crowd that attended the event, SRC Chairman Brendan Lowe stressed that the development of the new facility took time to ensure that it will be "a shared ethos, a shared training space belonging to no one club or sport. I firmly believe that we have that now and the "SRC" sports campus will undoubtedly be of benefit to the wider Shannonside region."

Philip Lowe of the SRC Finance Committee also addressed the crowd and said that while they would be appealing for financial support towards the project, the first aim of this evening's event was to start the conversation in the area and to share the plans of the SRC to as wide an audience as possible.

Members of the Shannonside Recreational Campus committee pictured at the public consultation at the Carrick Business Campus on Thursday evening Picture: Willie Donnellan

MC Aoife McCormack reflected that the SRC project required a community effort to get it as far as it has and to get it delivered, serving the people of the region, also requires a community effort.

Former Olympic coach and President of BLE (now Athletics Ireland) Padraig Griffin warmly welcomed the project, highlighting Leitrim's superb record in athletics but he stressed that there were potentially great sports people in all sports in the region and that a project like the SRC would help sports people achieve their dreams.

SEE NEXT WEEK'S LEITRIM OBSERVER FOR MORE ON THE SHANNONSIDE RECREATIONAL CAMPUS LAUNCH