A new 11.2m euro (£9.7m) stadium in Dublin, which is home to Shamrock Rovers Football Club (SRFC), has been officially opened by the Irish minister for arts, sport and tourism, Martin Cullen.

The purpose-built Tallaght Stadium currently boasts of a capacity of 3,300 spectators, but that is set to increase to nearly 7,000 when construction of the venue's East Stand is completed later this summer. Future development of the stadium, which is owned by South Dublin County Council (SDCC), could include the construction of a third and a fourth stand behind both of the goals, potentially increasing the venue's capacity to more than 10,000.

The Irish government provided the majority of funding for the stadium project, which was managed by SDCC's Architects Department and built by the Longford-based construction company, P J McLoughlin. Cullen said: "This stadium is for the community and, likewise, Rovers themselves are a community club. Rovers' community programme, which includes, secondary schools 7-a-side competitions, family days and numerous Soccer Superstar Challenges, puts the club at the heart of South Dublin."

Mayor of South Dublin County, Marie Corr, added: "We expect to be able to host a wide range of community activities in Tallaght Stadium over the years and in doing so hope to add considerably to the social fabric of the lives of the people of Tallaght."