News: Greyhound Stadium opens with support from Macalloy

Rotherham construction specialists, Macalloy, has supplied products for a state-of-the-art stadium in Limerick, Ireland.

Based in Dinnington, Macalloy are world leaders in design, manufacture and supply of threaded bar and cable systems to engineering and construction projects across the globe.

Limerick's €18m stadium at Greenpark opened to the general public earlier this month for a trial run and will officially open on October 22. It arrives at a time when Limerick becomes the European City of Sport in 2011.

The 2,500 sq m four-storey grandstand and terraces have a capacity of 2,900 and also includes a 1,500 sq m office building with new all-weather racetrack, kennel and ancillary blocks. The roof of the main stadium supports a frameless glazing system and has a series of Macalloy 460 tendons used as cantilevered trusses from the back of the stadium.

Adrian Neilan, chief executive of the Irish Greyhound Board said: "The stadium will have a capacity attendance of 2,900, putting it among the top rank of greyhound racing stadia on an international scale. It will boast an impressive 190 seat restaurant, private hospitality suites and gallery bars, all of which will be a significant attraction for people in the Mid-West region.

"It represents a massive vote of confidence in the city of Limerick and the mid west region. These have been difficult times but Limerick will come through and this new facility will be available to host the celebrations when it does."

Other sports projects that have utilised Macalloy systems include the venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg; the main venue for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the City of Manchester Stadium; the Olympia Stadion in Berlin, that hosted six games at the 2006 World Cup; and the Khalifa Stadium in Doha.

Macalloy website