DERRY CITY: Chairman give thumbs up for Brandywell refurbishment

DELIGHTED . . . . Derry City chairman, Mr. Philip ODoherty.

Mr. O’Doherty, who was given a guided tour of the facility in the company of club officials recently, said Derry City & Strabane District Council had received excellent value for the £7 million spend.

“I’ve been very impressed with the new stand, the pitch and the changes that have been put in place,” declared the chairman.

“Thanks to the council, our club will be enjoying superb facilities for the 2018 campaign and, when the final phase of the development is completed, I believe the Brandywell will be considered one of the top soccer facilities in Ireland.”

The final phase, which involves the addition of wings on each side of the new Mark Farren Stand, has already received planning permission and will go ahead when the necessary funding is secured.

“I’m confident that many of our supporters, who have opted to stay away until the opening game of the season, before visiting to see the changes, will receive a pleasant surprise.

“The view from the Mark Farren Stand is nothing short of superb and many supporters will be astonished when realising how far away they had been from the actual pitch with the greyhound track relocated to the Showgrounds area,” he noted.

“I was particularly surprised at the close proximity of the actual pitch now that the greyhound track has been removed. It’s fantastic, supporters will be much closer to the action and that will certainly boost the atmosphere during games.”

Mr. O’Doherty also welcomed Derry supporters’ approval for the 2018 kit which has seen sales soar, both for the home and away jerseys for 2018.

“Our hard working Merchandising Committee reported record sales of the ‘away’ strip after it had gone on sale before Christmas and now with the home jersey available, reports are also very pleasing as the new Adidas gear appears to have gone down particularly well.

“I was also delighted to see James McClean wear our new kit when receiving an award from the Mayor in the Guildhall recently,” smiled the Derry chairman.