Thousands of football fans flock to Dublin for Europa League final

Around 30,000 football fans are descending on Dublin today to watch the Europa League final which is taking place in the Aviva Stadium.

Thousands of gardaí will police the event which is the second biggest European club football event after the Champions League and is watched by millions worldwide.

Many roads will be closed around the stadium to accommodate the movement of fans of the German side Bayer Leverkusen and Italy's Atalanta while there will also be changes to the operation of some public transport in the area for much of the afternoon and evening.

Gardaí have warned that heavy traffic is likely in the vicinity of the stadium throughout today and that those travelling in the capital should expect delays due to rolling road closures.

They are advising people to plan their journeys around the event.

Dublin City Council has said that established practices for matches at the Aviva stadium will differ for this event which could run until 11pm because of the potential for extra time and penalties.

A traffic cordon will be established from 3pm at a number of roads around the area, with access only granted to residents who have proof of their ID or address.

However gardaí warned that all traffic may have to be excluded from these areas if there is a high number of pedestrians using the roads while entering and exiting the stadium.

Those roads are:

Lansdowne Road – both sides from Northumberland Road to Herbert Road

Shelbourne Road – both sides from Ballsbridge to Bath Avenue

Bath Avenue – both sides from Londonbridge Road to Shelbourne Road

Newbridge Avenue l Herbert Road l Lansdowne Lane from Northumberland Road to Shelbourne Road

Lansdowne Park

Parking will also be prohibited from 7am in the following locations:

Lansdowne Road –