Recreation and Sports
The dispersed nature of the sports and recreation facilities reflects the evolution of the Campus since UCD acquired Belfield House as a site for sports grounds in 1934. This will be resolved by the relocation of these facilities to the Recreation and Sports Sector of the Campus, planned as part of the strategic development of sport. It is proposed that the athletics track be relocated to the western side of the Campus in the vicinity of the Sports Centre, and that the UCD Soccer Team share the use of Belfield Bowl with the UCD Rugby Club.
2005–2010 Short-Term Objectives
Relocate UCD Soccer from Belfield Park to upgraded facilities at Belfield Bowl. Belfield Bowl will be developed by increasing seating capacity to 1,500 and installing floodlighting. This will make Belfield Park available for development as part of Belfield Innovation Park.
UCD will continue to develop as a centre of national sporting excellence and aims to further provide excellent facilities including a swimming pool and clubhouse adjacent to the Sports Centre and a fitness centre and other performance management facilities.
Playing pitches will be consolidated in close proximity to the Sports Centre including the relocation of turf pitches from the eastern campus areas. Existing training turf pitches will be replaced with synthetic surfaces to increase capacity for training on a continuous year round basis.
A new athletics track will be built adjacent to the Sports Centre to replace the existing track adjacent to Belfield House which has reached the end of its useful life.
2010–2015 Long-Term Objectives
Belfield Bowl will be fully developed with a capacity for 4,500 seated spectators.
Establish better transport linkages to the Sports Sector with a new designated QBC, a possible route would be from Wynnsward Drive through the Whiteoaks development to the Donnybrook bus terminus at the N11 Junction.
