PHILIP O’DOHERTY, the Derry City chairman, says the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division club will play out their final fixtures of this season in Buncrana.
O’Doherty was speaking to Eric White of BBC Radio Foyle, where he said the club had ruled out the possibility of a move to the Riverside Stadium in Drumahoe – the home of Irish League club, Institute FC.
With a busy youth club on a Friday at the Waterside venue and Derry City preferring not to play Saturday fixtures, then it will be Maginn Park in Buncrana (main picture), which is a ground owned by the clubs of the Inishowen League.
Derry City will vacate the Brandywell Stadium for redevelopment works, although the exact time-frame is not known as yet, possibly their last six home games of the current campaign.
The Glentoran Stand has already been demolished and a new spectator stand is to be erected in its place on the Lonemoor Road side of the ground.
A new artificial pitch is to be installed with work to take place and the new 3G pitch will be ready for the beginning of the 2017 campaign.
The FAI felt it would be unfair to have the club reverse its fixtures late in the 2016 season so a viable option had to be found in the north-west.
“I spoke with Derry & Strabane District Council officials,” O’Donnell said. “The programme is due to start in June with the relocation of the dog track and the work on the actual pitch itself is due to start in July. It may be delayed to suit us because we have to relocate to Maginn Park if the contractor needs the full programme to be allocated.
“The contractors are due to submit this week but if some of them can do it in less time then it means we may have less time at Maginn Park, which would suit us.”
While some upgrade works would be required to bring it into line with FAI Licencing criteria, it is not believed that they would be substantial, given that it played host to the EA Sports Cup meeting of Cockhill Celtic and Sligo Rovers in 2011, when almost 2,000 supporters attended.
Derry City will pay for whatever work is required.
“Maginn Park has hosted League Cup games before but there are going to be a few changes in regard exit lighting and some emergency lighting in the stand,” O’ Doherty added.
“We are going to take some of the emergency seating that’s been at the Brandywell since 2007 – that’s going to be donated to us –Â Derry & Strabane Districy Council. We’re going to install that at Maginn Park and leave it there when we’re finished as well.”
Listen to Philip O’Doherty’s interview in full with Eric White of BBC Foyle
