Sod turned on Munster's €7.3m Cork Centre of Excellence

"The €7.3 million facility represents Munster Rugby’s second-largest capital project ever, after the redevelopment of Thomond Park in 2008," Munster said in a statement.

"A world-class indoor rugby dome for a training pitch, and a large gym will be included in the facility, helping to grow the game and increase participation numbers.

"The indoor playing area will be the first of its kind in the region and while it will be fully lit for use after dark, it will have a transparent roof to maximise natural lighting.

"The Cork Centre of Excellence is a huge investment in the grassroots and community game and the project will provide additional support for clubs and schools.

"It will also significantly support the Munster Rugby boys and girls age-grade programmes and player pathway programme.

"The new Centre of Excellence, which is being built by Cumnor Construction, will also cater for the local community, including clubs, schools, community centre members, active adult groups and youth groups.

"Developing domestic game infrastructure across the province is a key priority in Munster Rugby’s Strategic Plan.

"Today marks a very significant milestone in the great progress which is being made both on and off the pitch with the province having achieved financial break-even last season."

Pictured at the ceremony is from left to right: Niall Rynne, Chairman of the Management Committee, Munster Rugby CEO Ian Flanagan, IRFU President Declan Madden, Simon Coveney TD, Munster Rugby President Brendan Foley, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Ger Malone, Munster Rugby, Dan Boyle, Lord Mayor of Cork, Sean Loftus, Munster Rugby and Philip Quinn, Munster Rugby COO

Munster’s Head of Rugby Operations Ian Costello welcomed the development as an important step for the provision of regional facilities within the province to accelerate player development.

The Cork centre will also see Munster’s head office relocate from temporary accommodation at the Sunday’s Well RFC end of Musgrave Park to permanent office space within the new building.

Munster currently operates a centre of excellence in Fethard, Co. Tipperary, as a tenant of the local council, while a Limerick site has been identified for a centre in Rosbrien.

"The centre of excellence in Cork,” Costello said. “That's really important because we rely a lot on other things like the gym in Sunday's Well, for example.

“We rely on coming up with €8,000 or €10,000 to get that three mornings a week whereas now we will have our own building where all the staff will be together in Cork, when they were spread out before. We're all together in Limerick (at the High Performance Centre). There's a centre of excellence in the pipeline for Limerick, for Rosbrien, but I think that will be a few years away."

Talking to the Irish Examiner in June, Munster’s Chief Operating Officer Philip Quinn did not rule out naming rights possibilities for the Cork centre and added: “It will be a huge project for us to finally get that one off the ground.

“Our Limerick Centre of Excellence is at a lot earlier stage, it’s a year or two off but we’re working through the funding model and we’ll see where that goes but the Cork one is the priority.”