Union Berlin friendly gave Bohemians new outlook on Dalymount Park plans

On Wednesday, Dublin City Council outlined that they were seeking to scale back plans for the redevelopment of Dalymount Park, amid rising costs, delays and the withdrawal of Shelbourne from the process of relocating to join Bohemians at the venue.

The two options subsequently on the table are for a scaled back version of the original plan or to refurbish the Jodi Stand, build a new main stand and two terraces.

The design team working on the stadium will present preliminary plans on both of those options, along with a costing report, that will be delivered at the start of September, with a revised construction schedule potentially seeing completion by January 2026.

Speaking on RTÉ's Saturday Sport, Bohemians' chief operating officer Daniel Lambert outlined the timescale and factors behind the alteration in the original plans.

"No one's been more frustrated with Dalymount and the time it's taken than myself and other people at Bohemians," he said.

"We started the process really in 2011. DDC acquired the site in November 2015 but I should say (there was) a really good announcement this week.

"There were delays in terms of a draw-down of funding that was approved by central government to DCC. It happened during Covid and there were lots of delays there.

"What's happened really is the option everyone had known about, the 6,000 all-seater option, the cost inflation had run from €32m up to close to €50m. Obviously that's not viable for a stadium of that size, paid for by the exchequer."

Lambert said the experience of playing Bundesliga side Union Berlin in a friendly this summer had given Bohs a different perspective on the all-seater aspect, given the prevalence of safe standing areas in German stadiums.

"What's funny in the interim