Location | Garryowen, Limerick |
---|---|
Coordinates | 52°39′37″N 8°36′54″W / 52.6603°N 8.6149°WCoordinates: 52°39′37″N 8°36′54″W / 52.6603°N 8.6149°W |
Public transit |
Limerick railway station Mulgrave Street bus stop Shannon Airport |
Capacity | 5,000 (1,710 seated) |
Surface | Grass |
Scoreboard | Yes |
Opened | 1880s |
Tenants | |
Limerick FC |
Markets Field is a stadium in Garryowen, Limerick, Ireland. It has now been redeveloped since 5 June 2015 when it hosted a soccer match between Limerick FC and Drogheda United in the League of Ireland Premier Division. It has been graded a UEFA Category Two stadium with a capacity of around 5,000. The ground has hosted underage international fixtures in 2015.The EA Sports Cup final between Limerick FC and St Patrick's Athletic was played in Markets Field on Saturday, 17 September 2016.
The site was originally a Gaelic games ground, having been used as a venue for Munster championship games in both hurling and Gaelic football. Most of the All-Ireland semi-finals between Munster and Connacht teams also took place there in the early years of the 1900s. It was also the home of Garryowen, a rugby club founded in Limerick in 1884, from 1886 until 1957. Garryowen have since moved to new facilities in the Dooradoyle area of Limerick. For most of its life it has been greyhound racing stadium. Greyhound racing ceased on 17 July 2010 with the opening of a new greyhound stadium at Greenpark in the south of the city.
The Markets Field is also the former (now current, they left Markets Field in the 80s to return 31 years later) home of soccer side Limerick FC. In 1962 Limerick F.C. played Liverpool in a friendly at Markets Field with Liverpool winning 5-3. It has hosted two of Limerick's six European ties. First in 1981 they lost 3-0 to Southampton FC of England in the UEFA Cup. Then in 1982 they drew 1-1 in the Cup Winners Cup against Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.