Finn Park
Páirc na Finne | |
View across the pitch | |
| Full name | Finn Park |
|---|---|
| Address | Navenny Street |
| Location | Ballybofey, County Donegal, Ireland |
| Elevation | 17 metres |
| Public transit | Ballybofey Main Street bus stop (McElhineys) |
| Owner | Finn Park Trust |
| Operator | Finn Harps F.C. |
| Capacity | 4,458 (351 seated) |
| Record attendance | 6,500 v Derry City in 2003 |
| Field size | 100.5 by 73.1 metres (110 × 80 yds) |
| Surface | Grass |
| Scoreboard | Yes |
| Opened | 1954 |
| Tenants | |
| Finn Harps F.C. 1954–present | |
Finn Park (Irish: Páirc na Finne) is a football stadium in Ballybofey, County Donegal in Ireland. The home ground of League of Ireland team Finn Harps, it has a 'safe capacity' of 4,200 with 351 seats. The first recorded Finn Harps game in Finn Park was in May 1954.[1][2] Finn Park hosted it's first League of Ireland game in 1969.[3]
Finn Park hosted the amateur Republic of Ireland national football team against Yugoslavia in a qualifier for the 1972 Summer Olympics in April 1971.
Facilities
The ground is in a relatively dilapidated condition, although upgraded to modern safety standards. Only three sides are officially open, the covered "Shed" with mixed seating/terracing on the Navenny Road side with a capacity of 1,505, the large "Town End" terrace on the Chestnut Road side with capacity 1,748, and the "Gantry" viewing slope capacity 1,195, which is rarely used by home fans and houses the television/radio gantry. The "River End" embankment is officially closed and is generally used for ambulance parking. Fan segregation is rarely officially in existence and effectively unenforced.
The Shed
The Main Stand, also known as 'the Shed', is a covered stand that backs onto Navenny Street and runs for almost the entire length of the pitch. The stand has a block of 350 seats located near the halfway line; the remainder of the stand is open terracing.[2]
The entrance to the away section is also on Navenny Street, via a turnstile on one side of the Main Stand.[2] In addition, this part of the ground houses the clubhouse, press area and tuck shop with two dressing rooms in the clubhouse.[4]
Town End
The north terrace, also known as the 'Town End' is an uncovered terrace behind the northern goal. It backs onto the Chestnut Road side of the ground. Favoured by home supporters, this end comprises of a stepped terrace with a concrete rear perimeter wall.[2][4]
Gantry Side
The east terrace, facing the Shed, is called the ‘Gantry Side’. This is because it is dominated by a tall television gantry which sits astride the half way line. To either side are portions of open terrace that are made up of four wide steps. Away fans are usually accommodated in this terrace or in the River End. The club shop is also located here.[2]
In August 2020, the club raised in excess of €30,000 to meet COVID-19 restrictions within the ground. This allowed them to add four new units to the back of the Gantry Side terrace including a new dressing room, medical room and toilets.[5][6][4] In July 2025, a bar was added to this area.[7]
River End
Behind the southern goal, opposite the 'Town End' is the embankment known as the 'River End'. It derives the name from the River Finn which runs behind this section of the ground. The River end has a small sloped area for standing, just wide enough to drive a vehicle along it. The scoreboard is located in the corner, between the River End and the Shed.[2]
Pitch and surroundings
The pitch at the ground measures approximately 100 metres (110 yd) long by 73 metres (80 yd) wide,[2] and uses a grass surface.[8][9]
In 2020, with Covid-19 restrictions effectively restricting the use of the usual dressing room and clubhouse layout, Finn Harps embarked upon a project to upgrade the dressing room facilities in Finn Park with the installation of a new home dressing room, medical area, shower room, kit room and wash room, and a kitchen on the Gantry Side of the ground.[10] The previous home team dressing room did become the away dressing room area with two teams entering the pitch from different gates as a result, but this was reverted in 2024 with the home side now entering via the clubhouse way.[11][12][13]
Future plans
Plans for a new Finn Harps Stadium across the River Finn in Stranorlar date back as far as 2005.[6][14] Construction on a 6,600 all-seater stadium began in May 2008 with a completion date set for 2010.[15][6][16] However, the end of the Celtic Tiger brought an economic recession and the project stalled. Despite continued efforts by the club, work halted on the ground in November 2014 with virtually all work ceasing by 2016.[6][17] Fresh design plans for the ground were drawn up in August 2019 to help the club move forward.[18] However, following a mixture of issues with government funding and COVID-19, work again stalled on the project.[19][20]
After a provisional allocation of €4m from the government in 2021, Finn Harps revised their stadium plans in May 2022 to reduce costs and set a new target completion date of 2024.[21] By September 2024, the club had to reapply for planning permission in the hope of resuming stadium construction in 2025 although no target completion date was provided.[22]
Home ground for Finn Harps Women
While the club explored options of selling Finn Park to help fund the development of the new stadium, they decided to keep the Navenny Street venue as a home for its female teams.[23][6] To develop girls' football, Finn Harps received a grant to replace the grass pitch with artificial turf, aiming to have this laid in time for the 2026 League of Ireland season.[24]
References
- ^ "Finn Park | extratime.com - The Home of Irish Football - Extratime.com". www.extratime.com. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Finn Harps FC | Finn Park | Football Ground Guide". footballgroundguide.com. 29 November 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "Finn Harps - Club information". www.leagueofireland.ie. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ a b c McNulty, Chris (6 August 2020). "Yearning for The Old Normal as football returns to Finn Park". Donegal Daily. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ Kelly, Oisin (23 July 2020). "Harps Making Progress on Finn Park Improvements". Highland Radio - Latest Donegal News and Sport. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Ashmore, Chris (15 April 2021). "At long last Finn Harps have grounds for optimism beyond the pitch". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
Initial planning permission was approved way back in 2005.
- ^ Writer, Staff (3 July 2025). "Harps look to score big with new bar at Finn Park!". Donegal Daily. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ "Venue - Finn Harps - Results, fixtures, squad, statistics, photos, videos - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ Foley, Alan (15 February 2023). "'I didn't think I would be back in the dugout at Finn Park for the first game'". www.inishlive.ie. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
last season he mowed the Finn Park grass before a top-flight encounter.
- ^ McNelis, Aidan (9 September 2023). "New Stadium Update From Ian Harkin - Finn Harps FC Official Website". finnharps.ie. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ "Dressing Room Taking Shape As Finn Park Work Continues". Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ McDonnell, Dan (5 August 2020). "'Finn Harps using school portacabin as a dressing room' | Dan McDonnell". OffTheBall. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ McNulty, Chris (15 January 2024). "Murphy's laws already evident as new era dawns for Finn Harps". www.donegallive.ie. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "Permission granted for Harps stadium". rte.ie. 14 March 2005. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ McNulty, Chris. "2010 the aim for Harps' stadium". extratime.com. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ Construction starts on Harps Stadium, retrieved 8 May 2009
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ McNulty, Chris (12 November 2024). "'Something that really has to kick on': LOI Director on Finn Harps stadium move". www.letterkennylive.ie. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ Ashmore, Chris (21 January 2020). "Funding crisis for Finn Harps' long-planned new stadium". irishnews.com. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
Last year [2019], €180,000 was sanctioned by the Department to allow Harps to compete [sic] design works on revised plans for the completion of the main stand with administration block as well as changing facilities, the laying of the pitch, floodlighting, security fencing, turnstiles, and car parking.
- ^ Lee, Ethan (26 September 2024). "Update on the Finn Harps Stadium Project - Finn Harps FC Official Website". finnharps.ie. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Finn Harps Stadium Plans Update, August 2019". Retrieved 3 November 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Harps revise stadium plan as costs and seating reduced". rte.ie. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Harps hoping to resume stadium build in 2025". 26 September 2024.
- ^ "Finn Park to be sold to help Harps deliver stadium". RTÉ.ie. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ McNulty, Chris (7 July 2025). "Finn Harps to install artificial pitch in Finn Park makeover". www.donegallive.ie. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
54°47′53″N 7°46′43″W / 54.798°N 7.7785°W