Gaelic football team slams council over clubhouse closure

Éire Óg Gaelic Football Club, based in Downhills Park in Tottenham, has been denied access to the park’s clubhouse for over a year, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

A Gaelic football club is facing “existential issues” after being left without a clubhouse for over a year due to the inaction of Haringey Council.

Éire Óg Gaelic Football Club, based in Downhills Park in Tottenham, says it has been reporting issues with its clubhouse, which it leases from the council.

In April 2025, after all water stopped running, the council closed the building to carry out renovations.

Since then, the club says hasn’t been granted access to the facility despite works being completed around the turn of the year.

Aaron O’Gara, a player and public relations officer for Éire Óg, says the local authority said it would not hand over the keys for the refurbished clubhouse until a new lease was signed.

However, O’Gara argues that he and other members of the club have been contacting Haringey Council trying to arrange this lease – but have not received any proper communications on when and how this will be done.

Though the council has sent an occasional response, these have not gone anywhere and any attempts at sorting the new lease have been largely ignored for nearly six months.

The issue is about much more than just the building. O’Gara says the lack of facilities has reduced player numbers and put a strain on finances, with the club having to rent out other pitches to play and train on. It has also meant that the team has been unable to fulfil its home fixtures.

Together, O’Gara said this has created “existential issues” which threaten Éire Óg’s future

Éire Óg’s players aren’t the only ones suffering. The Downhills Park facilities are also used by women’s Gaelic football club Holloway Gaels, as well as Finsbury Park Rugby Club.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) approached Haringey Council for comment on the situation.

In response, a spokesperson for the local authority said: “We fully recognise the valuable role that Éire Óg Gaelic Football Club and other local sports organisations play in supporting community cohesion, health and participation.

“We have been engaging with relevant clubs at Downhills Park, including Éire Óg, to put in place a formal lease arrangement for the clubhouse but an agreement has not yet been reached.

“We continue to be in contact with club representatives and are working to progress discussions constructively.

“Our focus is on securing continued community use of the facility, and we remain committed to ongoing engagement with the club and all stakeholders to reach a suitable and workable agreement.”

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