Richmond Park must hold the award for the hardest to find football ground I have ever been to! It lies in a natural valley behind a long row of terraced houses in the Dublin Suburb of Inchicore, and apart from the club offices and shop at 125 Emmett Road, and a large red double gate about 200 yards further up the road, you would’nt know the ground existed.
The main entrance is via the double gates, although there is an archway by the club offices that is used mainly as an exit I believe. The turnstiles are located here, and once in the ground you will find yourself behind the left end of the main (seated) stand. This stand runs virtually the length of the pitch, with red bucket seats throughout, and is for home fans only, apart from two blocks of seats at the furthest end from the turnstiles which are kept for away fans only.
As the stand is only about 20 rows of seats deep, views are quite good from wherever you choose to sit, although the front few rows look like they could get soggy if it’s raining hard.
A well maintained tarmac path runs round the back of the seated stand to the covered terracing behind the goal which tends to be where the more vociferous home fans gather, although it’s generally friendly banter. There are some pillars here to restrict your view, but it is a good place to watch the game from, as it is more atmospheric than the seats.
On the opposite side of the pitch from the seated stand is an uncovered terrace, which may be for away fans only when it is a big Dublin Derby (Shamrock Rovers or Bohemian) %u2013 check with the club. This also has a precarious looking TV gantry situated at the halfway line, but it lends a strangely rural feel to this urban ground, backed as it is by a line of mature poplar trees above a metal paling fence. The end behind the goal to the left as you enter is basically a tarmac area above a grassy hill, which isn’t used as a spectating area. A half decent burger van is normally doing brisk trade from here, as well as providing parking for disabled fans and the ambulance of the Order of Malta (the Irish equivalent of the St. John Ambulance Brigade).
All in all, though, it’s a fairly decent ground to watch a game %u2013 comparable with the majority of English Conference Grounds.
Admission prices for an Eircom League Premier Division game were %u20AC10 adults, %u20AC5 children/OAP/concession.