Plans to convert the 130-year-old Lansdowne Road stadium into a 50,000 all-seater "ephemeral addition to the skyline of Dublin" have been unveiled.
Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company (LRSDC) revealed details yesterday of the proposed new stadium's design, claiming it would be "equal to any stadium in the world".
Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue disclosed at the unveiling ceremony that the redeveloped facility would cost €365 million, €70 million more than the original estimate.
However, both Philip Browne, chairman of the LRSDC, and John Delaney, chief executive of the Football Association of Ireland, downplayed the redevelopment costs, insisting that a change in the stadium design accounted for the increase.
"It's a different stadium, that's what's important for people to understand, different to the one that was put to the Government two years ago," said Mr Delaney, who added that he was confident the FAI could meet its share - €35 million - of the increased financial burden, despite the senior national team's failure to qualify for the World Cup finals, or even the play-offs, and the resulting loss of income.
"Ten thousand premium seats and 1,400 corporate box facilities give you the ability to raise at least €100 million in forward sales so we need €60-€70 million of that for this stadium," he said.
While conceding that less than 1,000 of the premium seats, which have been on sale for a year, have been sold, Mr Delaney insisted that once football fans saw the plans for the redeveloped stadium and the facilities it will offer, those sales would increase.
"What you want is permanence, you need a permanent home," he said. "I think when the public sees the stadium, sees the model, sees the design, they will actually see a stadium experience which will fulfil what they require. There is nothing to attract you to coming to Lansdowne Road now until five or 10 minutes before the match. What we're hoping with this new stadium is that people will want to come two hours before the game for a fuller stadium experience."
Both the FAI and the Irish Rugby Football Union have given assurances to the Government, which is contributing €191 million to the project, that, between them, they will be able to increase their contributions to cover the rise in costs. The IRFU's estimated contribution is €100 million while the FAI is expected to put in €68 million towards the redevelopment.
When asked where the Irish football team would play its matches while Lansdowne Road was being redeveloped, Mr Delaney expressed the hope that Croke Park would be made available to the FAI.
"The most important thing is that we want to play all our matches in Ireland," he said. "It is significant that Rule 42 has been amended to accommodate the playing of soccer and rugby. Over the coming period discussions will take place with the GAA and I'm hopeful that a positive outcome will arise out of that procedure.
"But the main issue for today is that we are on course for creating a home, a permanent home, for Irish football. We've waited for this for a long time," he said.
Mr O'Donoghue described yesterday's unveiling as "another important milestone" in the stadium's redevelopment, and a "great day" for the partners in the project.
The design team is led by HOK sport architecture, who have designed Stadium Australia, Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, the new Wembley and Arsenal's Emirates Stadium among other sports stadia, and also includes award-winning Irish architects, Scott Tallon Walker, as well as Buro Happold and M-E Engineers, who have been working with the project management team.
Rod Sheard, senior principal of HOK sport architecture, said: "The whole idea is to make the building as much glass as possible, to make it translucent and even transparent in places."
"This shimmering jewel" will be "a transparent building that adds to the neighbourhood; a good-neighbour building".
"It's going to reflect the sky, it will be the sky brought down to earth," added Mr Sheard.