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The National Handball Centre (Irish: Ionad Náisiúnta Liathróid Láimhe) is an indoor handball facility located on the Croke Park campus in Dublin, Ireland. It is due to serve as both the national venue for All-Ireland Gaelic handball finals once it opens and as the headquarters of GAA Handball, the sport's national governing body. The new centre replaces the old Croke Park Handball Centre that was built in 1970.[3]

National Handball Centre
Ionad Náisiúnta Liathróid Láimhe

Full name	GAA National Handball Centre
Address	Sackville Avenue, Dublin 3, Ireland
Location	Croke Park
Public transit	Drumcondra railway station, Dublin Bus
Owner	Páirc an Chrócaigh Teoranta
Capacity	500 (4-Wall Showcourt), 200 (Softball Showcourt)
Construction
Opened	December 2022;[1] opening delayed due to Covid-19 Pandemic
Construction cost	€11.5 million[2]
Tenants
Gaelic Athletic Association GAA Handball Local community groups
Website
www.gaahandball.ie

As of January 2022, the centre has yet to be officially opened by GAA Handball, with the COVID-19 Pandemic delaying the new Centre's final minor stages of building. Ireland's national health service, the Health Service Executive is currently utilising the building for COVID-19 testing.

History

GAA Handball were granted planning approval in late 2017 to build a National Handball Centre at Croke Park.[4]

The new National Handball Centre, located at the southeast corner of the stadium on Sackville Avenue,[5] was close to completion as of January 2021,[6] with the final minor stages of building delayed slightly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The centre is currently being used for COVID-19 testing by Ireland's national health service, the Health Service Executive.[7] The centre has yet to be officially opened by GAA Handball, the GAA's sister organisation, which governs the sport of Gaelic handball.

Facilities

The new centre is planned to contain three 4-Wall handball courts - including a three-sided glass wall show court with amphitheatre style seating for a capacity of 500 spectators, a Softball show court with seating capacity for 200 spectators and three 1-Wall courts.[8] The centre includes offices for GAA Handball staff, a bar and cafe as well as a community centre.[9]

Official Opening

While the centre's official opening has been delayed due to both the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the final completion of remaining building works, the centre has had a 'soft' opening in Spring 2022, allowing registered players to book the courts through Croke Park. The official opening of the centre will be taking place in December 2022, coiniciding with the first ever European 1-Wall Tour "EliteStop" taking place on Saturday–Sunday, 10–11 December 2022. It is expected the best One-wall handball/wallball players from around the world will be invited to attend. The event is being organised by the GAA in partnership with the European 1-Wall Tour and is expected to be livestreamed, with the finals broadcast live on Irish television.[10][11]

Match days

The following is a list of the major match days expected to take place on an annual basis in the centre after it opens.[12] The following is not an exhaustive list of all handball events to take place in the centre - it is expected that other national, Leinster provincial and Dublin county fixtures will take place in the centre.[13]

Proposed Date[14]	Event	Notes
March - April	All Ireland 4-Wall Championships - Men's and Ladies Open Singles and Doubles Championships[15]
March - April	All Ireland 4-Wall Juvenile Semi-Finals and Finals[16]
March - April	Cumann Na mBunscoil boys and girls days[17]
May - June	All Ireland Hardball Championships - Open Singles and Doubles Finals[18]
July	All Ireland One-Wall Championships - all grades finals	There is currently no All-Ireland Championships in the One-Wall/Wallball code of handball. The elite championships in Ireland for One-Wall handball/Wallball is the Irish Wallball Nationals, which currently take place every July in Breaffy House Arena, County Mayo.
September - October	All Ireland Softball Championships - Men's and Ladies Open Singles and Doubles Championships[19]
September - October	All Ireland Softball Championships - Juvenile Semi-Finals and Finals[20]
TBC	European 1-Wall Tour Stop	[21]
September - October (Every three Years)	World Handball Championships	The 2021 World Championships were due to take place in Ireland however these have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[22]

Ownership and operation

The National Handball Centre building and the site it occupies are owned by Páirc an Chrócaigh Teoranta, the firm that oversees the running of Croke Park.[23] The centre is expected to be managed and operated by a joint venture company under a long-term lease. This company comprises a partnership between the GAA and the 'Irish Handball Sports Centre', a local community group. According to the GAA, "its primary purpose is the promotion of handball" and "it can never be repurposed" or "changed in any way or indeed sold without GAA consent".[24]

References

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