The Irish Greyhound Board plans to spend up to €12M ($14.8M) over the next five years upgrading the country’s main greyhound racing stadium at Shelbourne Park, "supporting breeding and training of dogs and addressing the negative image of the sport." IGB Chair Phil Meaney said on Monday that the strategic plan for '18-22 is an opportunity for “a new beginning” for greyhound racing in Ireland. An economic analysis and assessment of the greyhound industry by economist Jim Power revealed more than 12,300 people "derived economic benefit from the sector" (IRISH TIMES, 3/12).
With the multi-million pound redevelopment of Brandywell Stadium, one of the grand old ground's "quirks," the Brandywell Slope, has been "consigned to the footballing history books." As League of Ireland Premier Division side Derry City gets ready to face Limerick in the first game at the newly developed Brandywell, the "ground boasts a new synthetic and even playing surface." Former Northern Ireland int'l and Derry City striker Liam Coyle said, "The slope was difficult, it was hard, especially when you were young" (BBC, 3/12).