'Hope that end is in sight': Progress in grounds deed saga for Ballincollig AFC

LOCAL representatives have expressed their hope that recent developments will mean that a long-running saga involving a 50-year-old Ballincollig sports club may soon be resolved.

Members of Ballincollig AFC say they have been waiting for over 25 years to receive the deeds of their home grounds, and that lack of ownership has cost the club dearly. In recent days, however, an apparent breakthrough seems to have occurred for the soccer club.

Club members say they were promised the deeds for their Landing Field grounds by the then-minister of defence over two decades ago, and the land was assigned to the relevant local authority, then Cork County Council, with the intention that it be leased to the club.

This never came to pass, and with the 2019 boundary expansion of the city, Ballincollig came under Cork City Council’s jurisdiction.

Members point out that lack of full title to their home ground has, over the years, excluded the 650-member soccer club from applying for major national sports capital funding to develop the club’s facilities.

Two weeks ago, the club posted a statement on social media saying members had been “chasing” Cork City Council to complete their lease and believed they now had no option but to take legal action to secure their club’s future.

“In December 2023 we were advised that our lease was delayed as an issue had arisen regarding rights of way to the water treatment plant,” the statement read, adding that they had received no further communication from the council since then. The water treatment plant referred to is adjacent to the soccer grounds and is operated by Uisce Éireann, formerly Irish Water.

The statement said the club had been told by one of its local representatives that it appeared that Uisce Éireann had informed Cork City Council that the water utility company may need to expand its facility in coming years and was “now be seeking to grab a large portion of the property that has been assigned to us”.

Asked for comment late last week, Cork City Council said it was liaising with Uisce Éireann to enable its planned expansion “and would be hopeful that it will have minimal impact on the grounds currently used by the club”.

It added that the council expected to finalise a draft lease in the coming weeks.

A spokesperson for Uisce Éireann told The Echo on Friday: “On the understanding that these lands are retained for the essential use of water services, we do not propose to object to the lease as proposed, subject to rights of access being maintained for Uisce Éireann to carry out essential maintenance and upgrade works at the Ballincollig Wastewater Treatment Plant and pipe network”.

Former Lord Mayor and Ballincollig-based Fianna Fáil councillor Colm Kelleher said he was hopeful that “white smoke might now be in sight” and the lease could be signed in “the very, very near future”.

“I would be very hopeful that the end is in sight, and we can finally put a plan in place and sign this lease. It’s been a very long time in coming and I’ll be very happy for the club when they finally have their lease and they can drive on with the great work that they do,” Mr Kelleher said.

Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould TD said the club had seen so many false dawns over the years that it would be foolish to get too excited, but he sincerely hoped the development cleared the way for major progress.

“The club do incredible work with young people in Ballincollig and hopefully they will soon have the land that was promised to them over two decades ago when Murphy’s Barracks closed in the village,” he said.