Following a delay to the Markets Field project, Limerick will play a minimum of four of their 2015 Premier Division fixtures in Jackman Park. Some rival supporters reacted negatively to the announcement, claiming that the FAI had ‘fudged’ the process. The claim is Jackman Park isn’t suitable for the Premier Division.
It’s a fair claim, Jackman Park isn’t suitable by the FAI’s own standards [documented below]. Licencing requires that Premier Division clubs play in Category 2 stadia, defined in the FAI Stadium Infrastructure plan. Jackman Park is questionable or fails in some areas.
Category 2 stadia must have;
1. Independently verified safe capacity of 2,500
2. 1,500 seats, at least 500 of them covered
3. Floodlights with a 500Lux power
4. Dressing-rooms with a minimum of five showers and seating room for at least 25 persons, one massage table & one tactical board. These must be “stadium must guarantee direct, private and protected access for both teams and the referees from their dressing-rooms to the playing area and ensure their safe arrival at/departure from the stadium”
5. refreshment and catering facilities for all spectators in every sector of the stadium. These must include outlets for hot and cold food & beverages
6. “clean and hygienic” seated toilets per 250 males, urinals per 125 males and seated toilets per 125 females.
Of course, there’s more criteria and much more detail than the bullet points above. In terms of opposing fans, the primary complaints with Jackman park are around seating, cover and toilets, with a grassy bank constituting the ‘away end’. Opposing players will have a shock comparing the dressing rooms in Thomond Park and Jackman Park. RTE’s ‘Soccer Republic’ are not going to be happy with the lighting.
“It doesn’t meet licencing” is the most common complaint.
While this is factually correct, it shows a lack of appreciation with respect to what licencing is about. Fundamentally, licencing is about ensuring clubs hit high standards while offering them the opportunity to grow. The FAI have worked closely with Limerick FC on monitoring the Market’s Field project run by the LEDP. The LEDP will deliver a stadium that meets Category 2 criteria in a couple of months, so the FAI have made the decision to give Limerick FC a dispensation with respect to Jackman Park.
A dispensation means only that they will temporarily waive their criteria in the knowledge it’s a temporary measure and that the relevant club are actively working on the improvement.
Licencing is an ongoing conversation with the FAI. It’s black and white, but little bits of grey are discussed and common sense is applied. While there are licencing deadlines in Winter, the Licencing department works with clubs year round e.g. when a manager leaves and an assistant [maybe without the required badges] steps up. Each year clubs receive dispensations based on ongoing work or explainable gaps.
The FAI could have forced Limerick to play in Terryland or made them play at their opponents grounds. In doing either they would have placed a huge financial burden on a club already reducing their budget. They would have been crucified for it. The FAI are often, sometimes correctly, accused of failing to support clubs. In this case, they have taken steps to ensure a club can take a temporary step back in order to take a larger step forward.
It won’t look good [thought Limerick are rumoured to be investigating bringing in temporary stands], it’ll give those who don’t support the league more ammunition but they’ve made the right call.
2015 FAI Licencing Manual
Click to access 2015%20Final%20Club%20Licensing%20Manual_0.pdf
FAI Stadium Infrastructure Criteria http://www.fai.ie/sites/default/files/atoms/files/FAI_Stadium_infrastructure_Criteria_2011.pdf
Markets Field picture courtesy of ledp.ie
ninetyplusfour 
I’ve no problem with what the FAI have done in this instance.
It was the logical thing to do given the circumstances pure & simple.
My idea of FAI fudge is to do with clubs who constantly have problems of a similar nature season after season.
I know quite a few people look at the FAI as the problem & while they’re far from blameless in reality most of the problems are club related. You also have the situation where a lot of things are outside the control of the clubs like in this instance with Limerick.