Munster Rugby gets green light for new centre of excellence at Cork's Musgrave Park
Musgrave Park. Alongside the primary venue of Thomond Park in Limerick, Musgrave Park also hosts Munster Rugby fixtures as well as hosting Ireland’s Women and U20 teams.
Picture: Jim Coughlan.
Munster Rugby has been given a green light from Cork City Council for a new centre of excellence at Musgrave Park.
Fresh from Ireland’s brave effort at the Rugby World Cup in France, it’s envisaged the new centre in Ballyphehane will support Munster’s underage sides to follow in the footsteps of Peter O’Mahony and Keith Earls in the future.
The plans will see the creation of a synthetic all-weather playing pitch, a gym, dressing rooms and treatment rooms, alongside a new single-storey ticketing booth, office/administration space and extra parking.
“The proposed development will function as Munster Rugby’s Centre of Excellence in Cork and will primarily service Munster’s underage and development sides,” HW Planning, on behalf of Munster Rugby, told the council.
“The Centre of Excellence will also serve the surrounding community and be available to local clubs, schools and community groups.”
Alongside the primary venue of Thomond Park in Limerick, Musgrave Park also hosts Munster Rugby fixtures as well as hosting Ireland’s Women and U20 teams.
It also acts as the home ground for Dolphin RFC and Sundays Well RFC at grassroots level, and hosts music concerts. Next June, for example, it will host 90s pop crooners Take That.
The centre itself already had planning permission stretching back to 2019, but Munster had “assessed the evolving operational requirements of Musgrave Park” and sought permission for further amendments to the plans.
“As the majority of the coaches and administrators involved in the Centre of Excellence are based in Musgrave Park, Munster Rugby have investigated the efficiencies offered by the void space in the previously permitted building and for operational reasons consider that it would be more efficient to incorporate all activities within a single building,” planners said.
“The proposed development will improve facilities for the clubs’ players and members, and consolidate Musgrave Parks’ role as a leading community, recreational and social facility serving Metropolitan Cork.”
A Munster Rugby spokesperson said: "The planning approval we received this week was for revised plans we had submitted to our previously approved project for Musgrave Park, to incorporate offices into the Cork Centre of Excellence.
"Now that we have been granted planning permission for the updated project the tender process will get underway in the coming months, and we would hope the new facility will be complete by the end of 2024."
In 2020, Munster Rugby announced it had received a €1.5m grant from the Government to go towards the development The planning bid was originally due to be decided in June, but Cork City Council sought further information on Munster’s application.
At the time, Munster Rugby said: “Once that is granted, a final decision on the facilities within the COE will be made with the tender process due to commence over the summer.
“Subject to no delays in any of the above, we would hope that the project will commence in late October and be complete in summer 2024.
“The new facility will be built primarily for Munster Rugby’s underage sides and the surrounding community with local clubs, schools and community groups set to benefit.”
Earlier this week, Cork City Council granted planning permission after seeking further information on the proposed offices and a road safety audit for the new vehicular access to the site.
