The playing grounds at Belfield were officially opened with match against
Monkstown in 1936. A substantial programme of improvements to the Bowl was started in 2007 after a decision was made to move the
UCD football team from their home in
Belfield Park as the Bowl would not meet the requirements of UEFA licensing for the
League of Ireland. The redevelopment was confirmed in 2006 after a €1.25 million Sports Capital grant was allocated to the work and objections to planning were overruled. The seated capacity increased from 860 to 1,500 and a hard surface laid to allow standing capacity around the pitch. Floodlights, improved fencing around the stadium and facilities for shops, toilets and turnstiles were also added. The work was finished in late 2007 in time for the 2008 League of Ireland season. Planning permission has been applied for to replace the current roof with a
cantilever structure which will cover all 1,500 seats. Eventually, the stadium is planned to have a capacity of 4,500 seats although there is no time scale laid out for this yet. UCD's record attendance at the venue was 2,236 on 13 September 2024 for the visit of
Bohemian F.C. in an FAI Cup quarterfinal. It was one of the venues for the
2017 Women's Rugby World Cup, as well as hosting games in the
2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. ==References==