In a welcome and positive development for the football club, Athlone Town AFC have confirmed that works will begin on a new astro turf playing facility at Lissywollen.
The new playing surface will greatly enhance the club's existing facilities and will be a major boost for the senior men's team and the clubs underage sides.
The club had intended to commence works on the astro turf facility with immediate effect but following a failed request to the FAI to relocate two of their SSE Airtricity League First Division encounters, the laying of the new surface will not now begin until the season concludes with the hope of a November or December date completion.
This state of the art infrastructural enhancement will also serve to generate some much needed income and reduce current expenditure on hiring other facilities. The funds will be reinvested in the club and used to expand the number of teams Athlone Town AFC fields in the future.
The new pitch, when not been used by the club's teams, of which there should be ten by the start of the 2019 season, will be made available to local sporting clubs who wish to hire it. The club have been trying for some time to get the new playing surface installed at our home stadium.
The pitch is being funded through a Sports Capital Grant which had been authorised by the Minister at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. The club would like to place on record their apprecition to local Minister Kevin Boxer Moran TD, who was instrumental in ensuring the club was able to benefit for this funding mechanism.
