Newtown FC - Facilities

Facilities

Since the club’s foundation in 1977 they have played on Shannon Development’s property in Ballycasey with the bare essentials and without facilities to supply water and electricity. Having decided to take the decision to purchase their own land, the club committed to develop this area to the highest standard and now boast the best pitches in Clare if not the province. Their main objective was to develop good playing surfaces to facilitate the young in Shannon and to encourage good quality football throughout the season regardless of weather. Surfaces in Shannon must be developed from scratch as the area is mostly former bogland and below sea level and the club was aware that a six-figure sum would be required in order to develop the proper playing surfaces for pitches. They were the first club in Clare to obtain the use of three playing pitches with proper dressing room facilities. Having developed schoolboy soccer for the last 25 years they have recently added girls/women's teams as a further commitment to the town.

Newtown started playing on these pitches in September 1998. Not one penny was borrowed. The weekly club lottery paid out big jackpot prizes in the local area as well as contributing handsomely to the grounds development. The same familiar faces buy and sell tickets week in, week out. Without this local grass root support the enterprise would have been a non-starter. Local businesses also came on board to give a helping hand. Shannon Town Commissioners, Clare County Council and the National Lottery also helped with well-timed cash grants. Newtown had now come a long way. In 1982 club records show its profits for that year were a handsome £32.

Phase 2 is now commencing and the club is again starting from scratch. The next phase is to provide proper training facilities.