RDS Arena
| RDS | |
| Full name | RDS Arena |
|---|---|
| Location |
Ballsbridge Dublin Leinster Ireland |
| Public transit |
DART: Sandymount Station Dublin Bus Routes: 4, 7, 7n, 8, 18, 27x Aircoach Route: 702 (Dublin Airport to Greystones/Bray) |
| Owner | Royal Dublin Society |
| Capacity | 18,500 (16,500 seated) |
| Record attendance | 22,000 (38,000 for a concert) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1868 |
| Renovated | 2007 and 2008 |
| Expanded | 2007 |
| Tenants | |
| Leinster Rugby (2005-present) | |
DART: Sandymount Station Dublin Bus Routes: 4, 7, 7n, 8, 18, 27x
RDS Arena is a multi-purpose sports stadium, owned by the RDS and located in the Dublin suburb of Ballsbridge, Ireland.
The arena was developed to host equestrian events, primarily the annual Dublin Horse Show, which was first held there in 1881. The site had been acquired in 1879 by the RDS. The primary tenants of the RDS Arena are Leinster Rugby who compete in the Pro12 and Champions Cup. The arena has also hosted soccer and wrestling events, as well as concerts. The arena has a capacity of 18,500, 16,500 of which is seated.
The demountable north and south stands are removed for equestrian events, with only the Grandstand and Angelsea Stand permanent. The Angelsea Stand was completed in 1927. The Grandstand was rebuilt in 2006 for the 2006–07 rugby season, to replace the old wooden stand when Leinster first became permanent tenants. A roof was added during 2008-09. There are plans to redevelop the Arena, replacing the Angelsea Stand with another new permanent stand, which would incorporate the only terraced area of the stadium.
In July 2014, it was announced by the RDS and Leinster rugby that a design competition was being held to develop the arena into a 25,000 capacity world class stadium, with work expected to commence on the redevelopment in April 2016. The selling of naming rights to the arena will be a key component in funding the project, with an budget of at least €20,000,000 being proposed. A consortium of architect firms, Dublin-based Newenham Mulligan Architects and London-based Grimshaw Architects, won the international design competition for the multimillion-euro redevelopment of the RDS Arena.
The Stadium first hosted a football game (as in soccer) on 30 September 1990 when Shamrock Rovers used it as a home ground. For the next six seasons until April 1996 Rovers played their home games there. The Stadium held its first international match on 19 February 1992 when it played host to a home game between Ireland and Wales national football team. The stadium hosted some games of the 1994 UEFA European Under-16 Football Championships including the third-place playoff and the final. The final of the FAI Cup was held at the RDS in 2007 and 2008 during the construction of the Aviva Stadium. The 2009 final, however, was moved to Tallaght Stadium. The RDS hosted a game between St Patrick's Athletic and Hertha Berlin in the 2008–09 UEFA Cup First round. St Patrick's Athletic also played Steaua Bucureşti in the Arena on 27 August 2009 in the Europa League. The RDS Arena hosted the Ireland team when they played Paraguay and Algeria in May 2010.
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