Oriel Park 5.33

Oriel Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Dundalk F.C. Its current capacity is about 4,500 with 3,000 seats. The ground was opened in 1919.HistoryIn February 2005, Dundalk F.C. announced a major programme for a complete revamping of Oriel Park. The pitch was converted to an all-weather surface (the first Irish club to do so) costing 1.5 million euro.In December 2006 Dundalk applied for planning permission to Dundalk Town Council for a Youth Development/Coaching Centre. The general facilities are to include an underground car parking, gymnasium, disabled training facilities, dressing rooms,. games rooms, media control centre, multipurpose hall and associated services at Oriel Park. This is believed to have cost the club in the region of €5 million. Further plans are being made to upgrade the main stand, changing areas and bar facilities.In early 2007 the roof of the stand needed to be repaired due to storm damage. Other work completed before the start of the season included new dressing rooms and a temporary covered terrace. Recent redevelopments at Oriel Park include the sale of land for housing development and European safety regulations have reduced the capacity of the ground from 12,200 to 6,000.The stadium has also hosted three Republic of Ireland under-21 national football team games and other international underage games, including games in the 1994 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship.