The public has signalled its disquiet over the grandiose plans by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, to build a national stadium and sports complex at Abbotstown, in Co Dublin, in the latest Irish Times/ MRBI opinion poll. Only one in five of the electorate support the development of a Stadium Ireland project that would include an 80,000 stadium, a 15,000 indoor arena, indoor tennis facilities, a sports science and medical centre, an aquatic centre with an Olympicsized swimming pool and other sports amenities. A larger number, some 27 per cent of those questioned, favour going ahead with the proposed complex only if costs are greatly reduced. And almost half of those surveyed (45 per cent) believe that the available money should be spent on other sports facilities throughout the State.
Public opinion on this issue will greatly strengthen the hand of the Tanaiste and leader of the Progressive Democrats, Ms Harney, who has already forced Mr Ahern to undertake a belated - and necessary - cost benefit analysis of the project. The results of that analysis will not be available for some months. But the Fianna Fail element of Government is already preparing to scale back its original plans. In doing so, it will be keenly aware of costs - present estimates for Stadium Ireland range from £350 million to almost £1 billion - and the fact that 41 per cent of Fianna Fail voters would prefer if the money was spent on other sports facilities throughout the State.
The option of spreading the money around is, however, unlikely to arise. Mr Ahern has made it absolutely clear that his commitment is to the construction of a national sports complex with a football stadium seating 80,000 people. In pursuit of that objective, the Government has already entered into commitments with the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) as an anchor tenant and it is negotiating a similar arrangement with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). The value of the FAI deal, in return for its decision to abandon plans to build a competing project at Eircom Park, will range upwards from £45 million. The IRFU arrangement is also expected to involve cash and a revenue stream. And the Gaelic Athletic Association is to get £60 million on still-to-be-decided terms.
It amounts to a great deal of money. At a time when the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, is quibbling about the cost of upgrading the health services and increasing the number of desperately needed hospital beds, it may indicate skewed priorities. In recent decades, however, sport has suffered more deprivation than health in terms of government priorities. National Lottery surpluses, designed to fund the arts and sport, were raided by successive governments to pay for health, education and a range of other projects. The present controversy should not result in a false choice between sports or hospital spending. Both contribute greatly to the well-being of society; both require major investment; both should be funded.
The manner in which the Taoiseach went about realising this project, through backstairs negotiations and the commitment of State funds without consulting his Coalition partners, left much to be desired. In spite of that, a thin majority believes that a national stadium of some form should be built. This view is particularly strongly held (60 per cent) by persons in the 18-24 age group. Health requires priority spending. But long term sports needs should not be neglected.