'The redevelopment of Pairc Tailteann is about so much more than providing greater comfort for supporters to go watch games'

COMMENT:

In the movie ‘Field Of Dreams’, Kevin Costner's character hears a mysterious voice whisper 'if you build it, he will come', suggesting the great Shoeless Joe Jackson would go to play baseball on an Iowa farm if there was a stadium built there.

As the sound of construction echoes around Brews Hill and the Commons Road in Navan you can almost hear the same refrain as Meath GAA and their building partners continue the redevelopment of Pairc Tailteann at pace, on time and on budget to deliver an exciting new 5,000 seater stand on the expanded footprint of the old stand that is now no more.

The redevelopment of Pairc Tailteann is about so much more than providing greater comfort for supporters to go watch games. The installation of new state-of-the-art LED floodlights will bring night time football back to Navan, and with it increased revenue for the businesses of the town.

New dressing areas, media facilities, corporate areas and meeting rooms will make the 'new Pairc Tailteann' one of the more modern, appealing stadiums in the country and could entice sporting organisations from outside GAA, such as Leinster Rugby or Drogheda United, to play games on Brews Hill.

The possibilities are endless and the potential of the new stadium could be a major economic boost, not just for Navan, but for the hospitality industry from Trim to Slane and the entire north-east.

The mantra of 'if you build it, they will come' certainly seems appropriate when discussing the potential of the new look Pairc Tailteann.

That same mantra is also very true when it comes to the other big news story this week-the significant progress being made on the Navan Rail line, which will strengthen connectivity across the county, support future growth, and make daily life easier for thousands of commuters and families.

Build it and they'll come - the estimated 60,000 people who drive to Dublin from Meath each day will definitely welcome this news.

With an emerging preferred route for the railway line and a commitment to lodge the railway order in 2028, the project is on schedule for delivery between the projected timeline 2031 to 2036.

Rarely has a project been so badly needed - Meath is the biggest commuter county in the country. It is the only county in the country where the majority of workers leave the county to go to work.

Some 90,000 Meath people commute to work. 60,000 of them in cars. Indeed, Navan is the largest town in the country without a rail line.

This new rail line will be the most important piece of infrastructural development for the county.

For 25 years, the people of Navan and Meath have heard promises, announcements, timelines and commitments. Generation after generation has listened to politicians say the railway is coming. Now the plans are there to build it - and just like Pairc Tailteann they will definitely come, they will definitely use it.