A 25,000 seater stadium at the W.I.T Carriaganore campus could have been the new grounds of Waterford GAA, according to former Waterford Minister Martin Cullen.
Speaking to Eamon Keane on 'Déise Today' the Waterford native said:
"I had been involved in getting the Carriganore land for the future of W.I.T.; I knew that the W.I.T wanted a sports center of excellence and they wanted to be the premier third level institute of sports in Ireland."
The former minister said he approached the institution and discussed the possibility of the college sharing the campus with Waterford G.A.A, to which a green light was received.
Describing the joint initiative as a "marriage made in heaven", the former Minister continued:
"I went back to the G.A.A and I said I got a green light from the W.I.T and they were desperately and keenly interested in seen this development go ahead."
He said he laid out the idea to officials describing it as a "huge win" for Waterford and he said that they would have to look to the future.
Martin Cullen said he wanted the G.A.A to sell Walsh Park at the time and put the proceeds into the regional centre and this would stop them going into debt.
He said W.I.T would provide the land and the funding that they would have received from the Department of Education.
The balance then would have come from the Department of Sport.
"Can you imagine the kids in Waterford today looking up if that stadium was there today, saying my god some day I am going to play on that field, some day I'm going to play for Waterford," said the former Minister.
Listen to Martin Cullen's exclusive interview with Eamon below.
https://soundcloud.com/wlrfmwaterford/former-minister-martin-cullen-breaks-ten-year-media-silence-exclusively-to-eamon-about-walsh-park
