The cost of redeveloping Dublin's Dalymount Park has more than trebled since Dublin City Council bought the stadium a decade ago, with the council now needing to borrow €34 million to fund the modernisation of the league of Ireland ground.
In 2015, the council purchased the stadium from Bohemian Football Club for almost €3.8m and in 2016 announced plans to redevelop it at a cost of €20m.
It had planned to accommodate both Bohemians and Shelbourne FC after it acquired the latter's home ground, Tolka Park, in nearby Drumcondra.
However, it later changed its plans in relation to Tolka Park after a campaign by Shelbourne fans to keep the ground.
In 2022 plans were announced for the demolition and redevelopment of Dalymount at an estimated cost of €40m and last year planning was approved for the construction of an 8,000 capacity stadium.
But figures presented to councillors tonight show the cost has now risen to €63.75m.
Around €25m will come from government funding but Dublin City councillors have now approved the borrowing of €34m to get the project under way.
The council says that repayments will be partly funded from the annual rental income, matchday revenue and non-matchday revenue the council said.
Bohemian Football Club welcomes tonight's unanimous decision by Dublin City Council to send a Dalymount Park funding proposal for final approval to Minister James Browne.
— Bohemian Football Club (@bfcdublin) November 3, 2025
This is the final step in a process that began with DCC acquiring Dalymount exactly 10 years ago.
This… pic.twitter.com/Fm0PiazvYT
Planning permission for the project is also to be amended to try and save around €3.5m modernising the north Dublin stadium.
It says work is due to begin at the end of 2026 or early 2027 with the redeveloped stadium due to open in time for the new league of Ireland season in February 2029.
Bohemian Football Club welcomed the decision by councillors to approve borrowing for the project. "This is the final step in a process that began with DCC acquiring Dalymount exactly 10 years ago" saying it "will allow for the historic stadium to be fully redeveloped and serve the people of Dublin and beyond long into the future."
"Bohemian FC contributes to Irish society through sports, community engagement and progressive social policies - a redeveloped Dalymount Park will ensure we can continue to do so and build upon it.
Councillors raised questions about whether the capacity could be increased at the stadium to allow for European football games to be played there, if there was a business plan for the operation of the stadium and how it could be ensured that the cost of the project did not overrun.
Dublin City Council CEO Richard Shakespeare said it would involve "a whole different level of pain financially" to make the stadium eligible for hosting European games while Don Daly, the Council's Capital Projects Manager said that the choice of Bohemian FC to have terraces for standing was part of the reason the stadium could not be built to category 4 standards.
Mr Shakespeare also said that the operational details of the stadium are still to be ironed out but that the estimated costs had "a whole range of contingencies built into it" and he said he was confident it would be delivered within the budget outlined.
