What's up with the Government???

eirebhoy

I mentioned it a few times on boards since there was a report in last Wedensday's Evening Herland that a man named Patrick Nally wanted to build a stadium in Ireland once the government supplied the land and infrastructure. There was quotes from Nally that he had contacted the government about his plans a year ago but still didn't get any serious response.

Since that was in the Herald, Paul Hyland (a journalist for the Herald) had been keeping us up to date with Nally's proposal and have even been in contact with Nally. It was reported today that they contacted Nally and he said he was baffled with the lack of cooperation from the government.

Patrick Nally's father is Irish and here is a bit more about him:

Patrick Nally was the pioneer of international sports marketing and sponsorship, packaging rights and forging relationships between sport and major multinational companies. As a result the FIFA World Cup Intersoccer Package, the IAAF Track and Field programme, the Davis Cup of Tennis and the World Ski Cup still follow the marketing principles he devised.

His major international sports projects include:
* The marketing of the 1978, 1982 and 1986 Soccer World Cup Competitions in Argentina, Spain and Mexico, and establishing the dedicated company in the United States to host the World Cup in 1994.
* The negotiation of the world's single largest sponsorship deal between FIFA and Coca-Cola for all aspects of soccer development, including the World Cup. This programme stills runs today.
* Repackaging the ITF's Davis and Federation Cups in Tennis and securing NEC as the main sponsor.
* The creation and marketing of both the World Championships and World Cup in athletics, and the Rugby World Cup.
* The creation of marketing programmes involving international swimming, skiing, cycling and gymnastics.

In addition, he reintroduced the European/South American Cup (Toyota Cup), has worked with UEFA on the European Championships, European Cup and European Cup Winners Cup, and provided many soccer teams with major sponsorships.

Patrick was involved in the creation of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and secured for it a permanent home in Monte Carlo, and through this association, he has dealt directly with most international sports federations.

His most recent music projects include the creation of three full production stage musicals - 'Casper', 'The Mask' and 'Spider-Man', which were staged at the Butlins family entertainment resorts for two 30 week seasons. 'Casper' also enjoyed a 13 week run at the Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End of London and a North American summer theatre tour. Mr Nally is also producing the Big Red Musical, 'Theatre of Dreams' based on the story of Manchester United Football Club.

Past music projects have included:
* The Three Tenors concert (Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras) in Rome.
* A series of concerts by Leonard Bernstein sponsored by Ebel.
* The Concert of Europe series, including tours by The Rolling Stones Tour, David Bowie, Police, Madonna, Prince and Pink Floyd.

Mr Nally also created the largest independent sports television production company in the UK, and pioneered the use of new technology within major event activity (big screens, historical television footage, computer graphics), and other techniques to create special productions and present new show formats, such as the Casa Diva tribute to Maria Callas at the Acropolis, Athens.

His expertise for conceiving and successfully implementing complex development and marketing strategies is recognised world-wide.

Most recently, to meet the needs of the modern day, and working closely with a team of specialist professionals, he has developed a practical solution to finance the build, ownership and operation of new high tech multipurpose sport and entertainment arenas and stadia, the retrofit of existing venues, and the complementary use of "smart" technology.

If he did put in a proposal to the government (which, no doubt he has), with the crap that is going on for a national stadium in Ireland, why haven't the government jumped at the chance?

kmart6

Cause there STUPID

uberwolf

maybe cos they're smart, SMRT.

shower of plebs don't want just want things done, they want kudos for gettig things done.

BKtje

or perhaps they dont like what this guy is proposing/ dont trust him for whatever reason.

it does look like the government is being its usualy muppet esque self but just wanted to point out that they may have a valid reason(not that i believe that they do).

eirebhoy

I think they just don't want to give this man the Abbotstown site for nothing without getting anything back in return.

Victor

Or the whole thing is a scam to keep FF friendly people in jobs? (See Phoenix Magazine 19th December).

eirebhoy

And AGAIN in today's Herald there is an article on Nally and his team. It also says that the government has received 22 other "expressions of interest" in building a stadim but THe Herald can only deal with Nally's proposal because of the absence of detail of the others.

It is obvious by the article that Nally just got fed up with the lack of cooperation from the government and contacted the Evening Herald.

The Evening Herald has obtained a copy of the Nally proposal and we've read it from cover to cover.

Put bluntly, there isn't a single item in the document that should cause a problem for An Taoiseach, An Tanaiste or anyone else.

No strings attached, no murky details, just a well constructed proposal based on Nally's vast experience in the area of event management and stadium construction.

No matter what way the IRFU dresses their Lansdowne Road project up, it won't be finished until 2008 at the earliest and almost everyone reckons that it will take a few years more than that. Think about it, another four years AT LEAST before we get to kick a ball in the Dodder Bowl.

Nally can do his stuff in two years and will do just that if he's given the chance. Better still, he'll throw in a 15,000 seater outdoor arena situated right beside the main stadium (Fran Rooney's New Year wish) and even a 15,000 seater indoor arena as a bonus.

If The Herald are after getting their hands on a copy of the proposal Nally must really be serious about his interest in building this. I just don't understand why the only person showing any interest in this (other than me) is Paul Hyland of the Evening Herald. Why isn't this been mentioned by the FAI or even the government?

woosaysdan

you'd yhink that bertie and them would jump at the idea!!! it goes to to show that they are all a shower of muppets in the dail

Victor

Seems oddly related. Note MAnsfield is a buddy of FF.

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/2301492?view=Eircomnet

Work on Co Dublin convention centre halted
From:ireland.com
Tuesday, 6th January, 2004

South Dublin County Council has confirmed that all construction work has now ceased on a controversial convention centre project planned by Mr Jim Mansfield for the Citywest Hotel complex near Saggart.

Mr Abe Jacob, the senior planner who dealt with the case, said he had visited the site yesterday and could confirm that there was no work in progress on the €50 million scheme, which is under appeal to An Bord Pleanála. He said the council had received an undertaking from Mr Mansfield's company, HSS Ltd, before Christmas that no further work would be carried out prior to the determination of An Taisce's appeal against the scheme.

Mr Jacob said an enforcement notice was first served on HSS last September - two months before the county council decided to grant permission - when it became clear that site development works were already under way.

After the council's decision to grant permission was issued on November 10th and before the four-week appeal period had expired, work started on the erection of a large steel portal-frame structure on the site, which is now complete.

According to Mr Jacob, HSS was warned that it had no planning permission to carry out the development. The council then initiated proceedings in the District Court for non-compliance with its enforcement notice.

Though this case has yet to be heard, he said an undertaking was received from HSS after An Taisce's appeal was lodged on December 8th that all work on the site would cease pending the outcome, which could be known in early April.

HSS originally lodged its planning application for the 8,000-seat convention centre at Citywest last June. It was to consist of a large shed-type building, two storeys high, with a neo-Georgian front, flanked by surface car parking. This project would be in addition to existing facilities at Citywest, which include more than 1,000 bedrooms in the main hotel and associated apartments, conference facilities with seating for 4,000 and two golf courses.

The county council's roads department was concerned about the traffic implications, warning that the addition of a further 6,000-seat convention centre could create "major congestion" on the narrow, winding roads in the area.

But Mr Jacob said the council had only approved the scheme after seeking further information and clarification from HSS, particularly on traffic issues.

"In the end, our roads department was quite happy with the proposal." Asked if Saggart was the most suitable location for a national-scale convention centre, he said this was not a matter for the council.

"We felt on face of it that this was a piece of infrastructure that would benefit the county."

Mr Mansfield said he believed Saggart was as good a location as any for a major convention centre and better than a city centre alternative because of its proximity to the M50.

It was also likely that Luas would be extended to serve it.

Asked on RTÉ radio about going ahead without planning permission, Mr Mansfield said he saw nothing wrong. He said he could not see why anybody would appeal because they hadn't made their observations in the first five weeks.

"The county council themselves were reasonably happy that there couldn't be an appeal, so I don't know how this has come about. But if there's something between An Taisce and the county council, I don't know what it is." Asked about previous breaches of the planning laws, Mr Mansfield said: "We're in a huge building way all the time now and, of course, things will happen and small extensions and changes and that and we went in for planning later."

The Green Party TD, Mr Ciarán Cuffe, said yesterday Mr Mansfield should await the outcome of the appeal to An Bord Pleanála. "Creating facts on the ground in advance of the board's decision is a dangerous interference with proper procedures."