Brandywell Stadium
| Tobar an Fhíoruisce | |
| Location | Lone Moor Road, Derry, Northern Ireland |
|---|---|
| Public transit | Waterside railway station |
| Owner | Derry City Council |
| Capacity | 7,700 (2,900 seated) |
| Opened | 1928 |
| Tenants | |
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& Greyhound racing |
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The Brandywell Stadium (Irish: Tobar an Fhíoruisce) is a municipal dual-use football and greyhound racing stadium located in Derry, Northern Ireland.
The football team play on Friday evenings usually at 7.45pm; the greyhound racing takes place on Monday evenings and occasionally on Thursday evenings.
The stadium is situated on the Lone Moor Road just south-west of the Bogside in the Brandywell area and shares the road with another sports-ground, Celtic Park, the headquarters of the Derry GAA. The ground, which is within walking distance of the city centre, is more commonly referred to as simply, the 'Brandywell', and is the home of Derry City FC. Previously it was the home of St Columb's Court and Derry Celtic. The ground, as well as the stadium, features a large grass training area, a club shop, a club house, from which the club and ticket offices operate, and parking space for cars and coaches. The legal owner of the stadium is the Derry City Council, however, which, under licence, permits Derry City to make use of the grounds for training matches and the running of its various other club affairs, such as administration and the retail outlet.
Plans of Derry City's to purchase a pitch fell through after their formation due to the tight timescale between their birth in 1928 and the season's beginning in 1929 and so the Londonderry Corporation (now known as the Derry City Council) was approached for the use of the Brandywell Stadium which had been used for football up until the end of the 19th century. This began an association between the club and the ground which has survived until the present day. The club are still operating under the constraints of the Honourable the Irish Society charter limitations which declare that the Brandywell must be available for the recreation of the community. In effect, the club do not have private ownership over the ground and, thus, cannot develop it by their own accord with that discretion being left to the Derry City Council.
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