Ballinroad Soccer Club is set to take ownership of its home grounds after Waterford City and County Council approved the disposal of council-owned lands at its June Plenary Council meeting.

The decision marks a significant milestone for the long-established club and was welcomed by councillors from across the chamber, who praised Ballinroad Soccer Club’s stewardship of the facilities over many decades.

Councillors said transferring ownership of the grounds will provide the club with greater opportunities to access funding streams and grants that were previously unavailable, helping to support future development and investment in facilities.

The transfer of ownership received unanimous backing from elected representatives.

Cllr Kate O’Mahony commended Cllr Thomas Phelan for his work and involvement with the club, acknowledging his efforts in helping to support its development and progress:

“It’s a great, great club and again, I want to commend Councillor Phelan and all the work he does with Ballinroad. It’s a club that’s going from strength to strength. Numbers are growing all the time and like any club, I suppose, it’s not about sport. It’s not about football. It’s about community.”

Cllr Damien Geoghegan said he hoped the agreement would mark the beginning of a new phase of development for the Club:

“A long time coming for them but I would hope that this would be, actually, the start of something for Ballinroad and that we could see really good progress there as well, and some more improvements there over the next couple of years and some more good news stories for Ballinroad.”

Speaking during the meeting, Cllr Tom Cronin described the decision as a “brilliant day” for the club:

“Grants, and all of that, can now become available to the soccer club and it was a great day for the young people of Ballinroad and the surrounding area.”

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