Thomond Park Background

From project launch to official launch - almost 600 days and €40 million later and one of the country's most renowned sporting venues opened for business in October 2008.

Since the unveiling of the design for the redevelopment of Thomond Park on the 27th May 2006, rugby supporters have eagerly monitored the building progress of the stadium that has changed the skyline in Limerick forever. Now the province has a multi-purpose stadium facility to rival any modern stadia across Europe and one everyone is justifiably proud of.

In addition to the many great occasions that have already taken place and that are anticipated for Thomond Park Stadium a wide range of new initiatives have also been launched such as the Stadium Tour, the Interactive Munster Rugby Visitor Experience, the Munster Rugby Store, the Munster Walk and on site catering facilities. The Stadium has a total of 14 bars and refreshment outlets to cater for the 25,600 capacity crowds while the new Conference and Banqueting facilities can cater for in excess of 500 people depending on the style of event.

An economic impact study commissioned by Munster Rugby has revealed that the Heineken Cup quarter final match against Ospreys in April, generated €10.5 million for Limerick. The study conducted by BDO Simpson Xavier, Limerick revealed that the financial contribution to the city and region has grown by over €6 million for such fixtures as a result of the new stadium development and increased capacity.

Commenting on the impact of the stadium on the region John Cantwell Stadium Director said "these are exciting times for Limerick City and the Mid West. We saw earlier in the year the economic impact of a 12,000 capacity stadium generating almost €4 million for the local economy as a result of a Heineken Cup match. The plans we have in place to develop the stadium as a multi-purpose event facility not alone hosting major rugby fixtures but also other sporting events and concerts that will make a major economic contribution to the City and Mid West region. In addition to generating employment opportunities within the stadium it should act as an economic catalyst for the area and we look forward to working in partnership with hotels and regional marketing groups to highlight what Limerick now has to offer".

The key feature of the new stadium is the symmetrical grandstands on the East and West sides of the new stadium. The span of the main roof support truss for the new stands will stretch to 146 metres making it a new and unique landmark for Limerick city.