Tyrone’s new £280,000 floodlighting system will beam down on O’Neills Healy Park in a high profile launch when county champions Errigal Ciaran begin the defence of their Senior Championship title in a meeting with Killyclogher On Thursday September 21.
A major upgrade has been completed, with an energy-efficient LED system replacing the existing halogen lamps.
A test run was successful, with the local Omagh St Enda’s playing their final league game of the season against Errigal Ciaran.
The big switch-on will see the culmination of a two-year project led by Tyrone Planning and Training Officer Rory O’Brien.
“The original system was installed in 2006, and that old system of halogen lights has come to the end of its lifespan, and needed to be replaced, probably a couple of years ago, if truth be told,” said O’Brien.
“Tyrone GAA footballers, both club and county, deserve top quality fit-for-purpose lights,”
The majority of the cost has been met by Tyrone GAA, with a small grant from Croke Park.
“In Tyrone, we spend a lot of time and effort in ensuring that we provide good value for money and run Tyrone GAA in a very sustainable fashion.
“A lot of due diligence and effort went into getting the correct lighting system and as keenly priced as possible.
“Significant time and effort went into sourcing these quality lights while providing value for money.
“These new energy-efficient lights will use much less energy and have a longer lifespan, due to the advances in lighting technology in recent years.”
The contract was awarded to specialist provider Musco, a worldwide market leader in sports lighting, whose systems are used by English Premier League clubs.
“We were lucky in that the installer recommended by Musco happens to be a reputable electrical contractor from Tyrone, PMcK Electrical, who is a strong gael at heart who will have a vested interest in ensuring a top quality project is delivered,” said O’Brien.
A carefully planned schedule of works has been timed to complete in time for the club championships, with several high profile games played under lights each season.
“The driver was always the club championship, which is the biggest pressure point in Tyrone for the use of the Healy Park floodlights.
“So we set that date for planning and worked back from that in terms of delivery.
“The final tweaks and testing have been going on this week, with a test run in a league match involving Omagh.”
