Ballinhassig AFC have ambitious plan to cater for booming club
Ballinhassig AFC's senior squad who compete in the Munster Senior League.
The new astro will bring everyone together under one roof, making training more efficient and keeping that strong sense of community.
An all-weather pitch seems to be a must for every club nowadays, mainly for the reason to ensure games go ahead in our inconsistent Irish weather.
The most recent club to expand their facilities is Ballinhassig AFC and having spoken to chairman Ger Spillane, while having the same reason as all clubs, he added one really important key factor in having an all-weather pitch... to bring a community together.
To currently accommodate for 22 teams at the club, a lot of the teams are having to train in different venues across Cork. This Spillane believes shouldn’t be the case and with the new Astro pitch, it will bring the club closer together and he cannot wait for it to come to fruition for the 2025-'26 season.
“Too often, training and matches are cancelled because our pitches are waterlogged,” said Spillane. "An astro pitch will give us a reliable, all-weather surface that can be used year-round by players of all ages and abilities. It’s a total game-changer for the club.
“Right now, we simply don’t have enough space for all our teams to train and play. On busy weekends, we’ve had up to eight home games, which puts huge pressure on our grass pitches.
“During the week, it’s even harder, 22 teams are competing for training slots, and many are forced to rent time on other clubs' astro pitches.
“This project has been three years in the making. In 2023, after serious planning, we estimated a cost of €600,000."
That's a daunting figure for any club.
"From the start, we were determined to fund as much as possible ourselves without burdening the club with massive debt. In 2022, we started by clearing an €80,000 mortgage. In 2023, we launched bigger fundraisers like our Jungle Fundraiser at Rochestown Park Hotel, secured new sponsorships, and saw incredible support from the local business community."
By the end of the year, they had raised €250,000.
"A huge boost came from the Capital Sports Grant and further sponsorships, bringing us to €450,000 by the end of last year. We’re now in the final stretch, with our upcoming ‘Squid Games’ event in September aiming to push us closer to our €650,000 target. Any remaining shortfall will be covered through a loan from someone like Clann Credo or another community-focused lender.
“The support from our community has been phenomenal. People from all walks of life, other clubs, businesses, and residents, have come together to make this happen. Every cent raised for this project is ring-fenced and will not affect the day-to-day running of the club."
They're taking a huge step forward. This will be a full-size, floodlit artificial surface, built on the footprint of their second pitch. It’s designed to give Ballinhassig a high-quality, durable playing area that can be used year-round, no matter the weather.
"Full construction kicks off in May to align with the off-season and better weather. We’re targeting a September completion, just in time for the 2025/26 season.
“Ballinhassig AFC is growing every year. We now have 22 teams, from our U6 academy to adult squads, with over 400 playing members.
We’re also seeing more players join from nearby parishes, which shows how the club is becoming a real hub for football in South Cork.
“We’ve always focused on ‘Football for All’ from our Disney Playmakers program to our partnership with Amputee Football Ireland. The new facility will help us expand even more: We want to increase female participation and encourage our girls to keep playing into their late teens and beyond.
"We see huge potential for social soccer, like walking football and over-40s teams. We want to grow membership at all levels, whether it’s for competitive teams or casual, community-based football.
“This facility will open so many doors for people of all ages and abilities. It’s not just about football for us, it’s about bringing people together.”
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