// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs the Donegal stadium done well?
 Signage, with an artist's impression, from 2014 | |
 Interactive map of Donegal Community Stadium | |
| Location | Railway Road, Stranorlar, Republic of Ireland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 54°48′03″N 7°46′07″W / 54.80083°N 7.76861°W |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Groundbreaking | 2008 |
| Tenants | |
| Finn Harps FC (planned) | |
The Donegal Community Stadium is a stalled construction project in Stranorlar, Ireland.[1] The stadium was initially intended to have a capacity of 6,600 spectators, and proposed as an association football venue to replace Finn Park as the home stadium of Finn Harps F.C.
While planning permission was granted in March 2005 and the project broke-ground in May 2008,[2][3][4][5] the project stalled during the post-2008 Irish economic downturn.[1][6] Legal and tax issues delayed further construction work until 2011.[7][8] By August 2011, work on the site had restarted,[9] and foundations were in place by late 2011.[10] The project was again delayed in October 2012,[11] with "minimal work" undertaken between 2014 and 2024, pending additional funding.[12][13] In April 2021, a "provisional allocation" of government funding was reportedly announced.[14]
By May 2022, the development plans were scaled-back to account for inflation and the increased cost of building works and materials.[15] While this revised proposal was reportedly given the "green light" in August 2022,[16] a "revised 5,500-capacity stadium" was still pending funding as of February 2024.[12] An updated planning submission, with yet further changes, was lodged in late 2024.[17] This was reportedly approved in December 2025.[18]
History
[edit]
Initial proposal (2005)
[edit]Talks over a new stadium for Finn Harps began in late 2004.[19][7] Initial drawings had the stadium planned as a 7,000 seater stadium, but these were subsequently revised to a planned 6,600 all-seater stadium. Stadium plans were confirmed and backed by the club's shareholders on 31 January 2005.[20] Planning permission was granted in March 2005, a public tender process completed in 2006 but government funding approval was not granted until April 2007.[2][7][3] While ground was eventually broken on 12 May 2008, delays to the transfer of land, lease arrangements and drawdown of funding meant that an extension to planning permission was sought in February 2010.[5][21][7] A two-year extension was approved but legal and tax issues delayed initial construction work until 2011.[7][8]
Although expected by Finn Harps to take place in January 2011, the first drawdown of grant money took place in May 2011 with the club confirming in August that construction work had resumed.[9][7] By August 2012 only the foundations of the main stand had been completed and a further extension to planning permission was sought. Reasons given for the delay included further land transfer issues and government funding availability due to the economic situation.[22][11] It was reported that the delay was also due to financial reasons, as a decline in property values meant that the new stadium was more dependent on state funding.[11] In October 2012, a five-year extension was granted,[22] although it wasn't until 2014 that significant building work was undertaken on site.[23] By late 2014, on-site work had stalled indefinitely.[24][25]
Relaunch of project (2017)
[edit]At their AGM in May 2017,[26] Finn Harps announced that revised plans would be launched later that summer.[24][27] On 24 May, the club applied for and received another five-year extension to the stadium's planning permission.[28] Changes in the updated proposal included a reduction in seating capacity, consisting of a main stand with 1,954 seats and another stand opposite with 1,700 seats. Two terraced ends with standing capacities of 900 each also meant a reduced stadium capacity totalling 5,400.[6][29] The club later said that the Department of Sport had proposed a new model in 2017 to deliver the project, and the club had agreed.[25]
At the start of July 2018, the Department of Sport announced a €304,000 grant towards the relaunch — including surveying the site, completing work-in-progress tasks and finalising detailed design — with the aim of restarting the stadium build in Stranorlar.[30][6] In February 2019, work on the stadium was reportedly due to resume later in the year but, in January 2020, Harps stated their "surprise and disappointment" at the exclusion of the Donegal Community Stadium project from grants announced by the Department of Sport.[25][6] By May 2020, it was instead reported that virtually no work had been carried out in the last four years. Despite the lack of progress and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Sport remained in discussions with Harps regarding the first phase of the project; the completion of the main stand, a new pitch and the installation of floodlights at a cost of €7million.[31][6]
By May 2020, the project had stalled, pending a proposed investment of €6.7 million in state funding.[31] While this situation had not changed as of September 2020,[32] in April 2021 the government announced a "provisional allocation" of €3.99m for the development.[14]
Revised plans (2022)
[edit]In May 2022, owing to the rapid increase in the cost of supplies and demand on the construction industry, Finn Harps released further revised plans for a 6,130 capacity ground on the site.[33] These revised plans included a West Stand of 1,930 seats in (as of May 2022) a partially built structure. Together with a proposed East Stand of 1,400 seats, the total seating capacity of this plan would be 3,330 along both touchlines. The plan proposed the development of terracing at the two ends of the ground, each with a capacity of 1,400. The May 2022 plan proposed that all four sides of the ground would be covered and that a new pitch would be laid. These revised 2022 plans were protected to cost in the region of €8 million.[15] During August 2022, the Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht reportedly gave the "green light" to this updated proposal.[16]
As of early 2024, the development of a "[further] revised 5500-capacity stadium" was costed at €7.3 million, with funding from FAI grants, government grants, Donegal County Council and the Western Development Council being matched and supplemented with up to €1.2 million from the club.[12] As of February 2024, "minimal on-site work" had occurred since 2014.[12]
Further plans (2024)
[edit]In December 2024, Finn Harps and Carr Architects lodged a new planning submission for the stadium project. This updated proposal covered a potential capacity of 5,580.[17] The revised submission still proposes that four stands would surround the field, with terracing at both ends of the ground.[17] An announcement on the Finn Harps website compared the proposed design with Salford City's ground at Moor Lane.[34] At Finn Harps' AGM in July 2025, the club indicated that planning permission could be granted before December 2025.[35] Finn Harps confirmed that Donegal County Council had granted planning permission in December 2025.[18] In May 2026, the Minister of State for Sport stated that work on the project was ongoing.[36]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Ashmore, Chris (15 April 2021). "At long last Finn Harps have grounds for optimism beyond the pitch". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- 1 2 "ePlan - Online Planning Details (2005)". www.eplanning.ie. 13 March 2005. Archived from the original on 15 September 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- 1 2 "Harps turn sod on new Stadium". extratime.com. 7 May 2008. Archived from the original on 30 July 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
- ↑ "Permission granted for Harps stadium". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 14 March 2005. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- 1 2 "Harps heading to new ground". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 12 May 2008. Archived from the original on 28 August 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Ashmore, Chris (8 February 2019). "Work on Finn Harps' new €6m stadium set to resume this year". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 McNulty, Chris (2 January 2011). "Harps stadium expecting significant work". extratime.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2025. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Work to start on Harps stadium". One Stop News Stand. 2 December 2010. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012.
- 1 2 Maguire, Stephen (26 August 2011). "Harps plead with public to get behind the new Finn Park dream". Donegal Daily. Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
Following a Government announcement in May, which confirmed that the first drawdown of grant money had been processed, the board of directors updated shareholders and supporters at Wednesday's EGM on groundwork which has been completed at the new stadium site, and further works about to commence.
- ↑ "Harps to turn sod on new stadium". Eleven-a-side.[permanent dead link]
- 1 2 3 Scanlon, Cronan (19 October 2012). "Lack of funding delays Harps stadium". Donegal News. North-West News Group. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 "No stadium, no club - Crunch time for Finn Harps". Irish Examiner. 13 February 2024. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ↑ Ashmore, Chris (21 January 2020). "Funding crisis for Finn Harps' long-planned new stadium". irishnews.com. Irish News. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- 1 2 "Press Release - Provisional allocation of €3.991m for Finn Harps stadium". gov.ie. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- 1 2 "Donegal Community Stadium Update May 2022". finnharps.ie. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- 1 2 "Harps Welcome Stadium Green Light- Time to Bring It Home!". highlandradio.com. 5 August 2022.
- 1 2 3 McNulty, Chris (10 December 2024). "Renewed hope for Finn Harps stadium move as fresh planning application lodged". www.donegallive.ie. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- 1 2 "Finn Harps granted planning permission for new stadium". www.donegallive.ie. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ↑ Morrow, Rory (20 May 2024). "Finn Harps Chairman discusses new stadium's impact on Donegal's football future". extratime.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ↑ McNulty, Chris (9 May 2008). "2010 the aim for Harps' stadium". extratime.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2026. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ↑ "ePlan - Online Planning Details (2010)". www.eplanning.ie. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- 1 2 "ePlan - Online Planning Details (2012)". www.eplanning.ie. Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ↑ "New Finn Harps stadium will be complete before club moves, AGM told - Donegal News". Donegal News. 14 April 2014. Archived from the original on 4 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- 1 2 McNulty, Chris (9 May 2017). "Finn Harps to relaunch new stadium project following McLoone appointment". Donegal Daily. Archived from the original on 13 May 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Harps express surprise at lack of government grant". RTÉ Sport. 12 January 2020. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ↑ "AGM 2017". finnharps.com.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "McLoone Joins Harps Board to Steer Stadium Effort, Is Confident of Success". www.finnharps.com. 8 May 2017. Archived from the original on 15 May 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ↑ "ePlan - Online Planning Details (2017)". www.eplanning.ie. Archived from the original on 15 September 2025. Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ↑ "Paul McLoone to co-ordinate new Harps stadium project". donegaldemocrat.ie. Donegal Democrat. 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ↑ "Finn Harps welcome funding for new stadium". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ.ie. 12 July 2018. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- 1 2 Ashmore, Chris (9 May 2020). "New ground can kick-start bright, new era for Finn Harps". irishnews.com. Irish News. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ↑ "Government urged to release funding for Finn Harps stadium". highlandradio.com. Highland Radio. 18 September 2020. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
Work on the project has effectively been stalled since 2014
- ↑ McLaughlin, Rachel (18 July 2022). "€500K offer boosts confidence for Finn Harps Stadium". Donegal Daily. Archived from the original on 20 April 2026. Retrieved 14 April 2026.
- ↑ McNelis, Aidan (30 April 2024). "It Starts With Us – Finn Harps outline new stadium project plans at positive open meeting - Finn Harps FC Official Website". finnharps.ie. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- ↑ McNulty, Chris (7 July 2025). "Finn Harps to install artificial pitch in Finn Park makeover". www.donegallive.ie. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ↑ highlandnews (16 May 2026). "Minister McConalogue offers update on Finn Harps stadium". Highland Radio - Latest Donegal News and Sport. Retrieved 25 July 2026.