Connacht Issue Update On New North Stand And High Performance Centre

Connacht Rugby and Dexcom Inc. have provided supporters of the province with an update on the construction of the new North Stand and High Performance Centre at Dexcom Stadium in Galway.

A historic 12-year naming rights agreement for the home of Connacht Rugby was announced back in January, on the same day that Dexcom officially turned the sod on their new Athenry manufacturing facility.

At the Connacht Rugby High Performance Centre, the structural steel frame began to appear in early June following extensive enabling and substructure works. The subfloor to the HPC is now complete and the steel frame of the indoor pitch is nearing completion.

In the coming weeks, insulated roof panels, cladding rails and cladding to the elevations will be installed, allowing for the installation of windows and doors and the internal fitout of the HPC and indoor pitch.

For the North Stand, demolition of the Clan Stand and clubhouse began in April and was completed by June. This allowed the foundations of the North Stand to be installed, which has recently been completed.

As a result, passers-by on College Road can now see the precast frames starting to appear in the Galway skyline. In the next few weeks, precast floors will start to appear on the first and second floors.

Both the Connacht senior Men’s and Women’s teams have played at Dexcom Stadium in recent weeks, with the Women running Munster close in a 29-24 Interprovincial Championship defeat, while the Men’s side beat Sale Sharks 21-5 in last Saturday’s pre-season friendly.

Pete Wilkins’ charges wrapped up the win with a late try from debutant Ben Murphy, while Ireland Under-20 centre Hugh Gavin impressed, and three sets of brothers – Matthew and John Devine, Darragh and Niall Murray, and David and Daniel Hawkshaw – all got game-time.

The Connacht Men have two more pre-season outings, away to Glasgow Warriors, and then a trip to Bristol Bears, before kicking off the BKT United Rugby Championship with a derby clash with Munster at Thomond Park on Saturday, September 21.

Ireland international Mack Hansen, who has completed a full pre-season, is set to make his return from shoulder surgery, with head coach Wilkins saying: “Hopefully Mack will be available for round one of the URC. I want to give him some pre-season minutes before then.”

Meanwhile, as development of their Athenry plant accelerates, Dexcom has also made strides in recruitment with a number of roles now in place.

A world-leader in producing and distributing continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems for the management of diabetes, the company has recruited more than 25 new employees for technical, chemistry, molding, quality, and engineering positions at Dexcom Ireland.

Their goal is to have 50 new hires onboarded by the end of 2024. Ultimately, Dexcom Ireland will employ more than 1,000 employees. More exciting opportunities to join the team are being advertised regularly. For more information, please visit careers.dexcom.com.