For Sinéad Cassidy, the excitement is impossible to hide. As General Manager of the new Dexcom Stadium, she has spent the past year helping bring Connacht Rugby’s most ambitious project to life.
"There's a sense of sheer butterflies in my stomach," beams Sinéad.
Months of hard work will come together when Stuart Lancaster's side take to the field on Saturday. It will be a proud occasion for all who have been involved in this project.
"Everybody is just on the final furlong, the push is on."
Teamwork makes the dream work
For a project of this scale, collaboration and teamwork is everything. Sinéad emphasises that the Dexcom Stadium project has been one massive group effort.
"There is a lot of people who have been working on this project for a long time. Kyle Boyle, the director of development, Willy Ruane, Niamh Hoyne, who looks after all the finances and the funding to make this happen."
Conack Construction undertook the build with Ger Cunningham and Padraig Queally collaborating with Connacht Rugby on behalf of the builders.
"The relationship we have with them is all about clear lines of communication. There was timelines, deadlines and everything was met," explains Sinéad.
"The local residents have been so supportive, all our stakeholders, the IRFU, the URC, the Galway City Council, Fáilte Ireland, everybody's just been on the same page as us. It's a big thing to happen here in the west of Ireland, and everybody just wants to make it work."
Dexcom and Connacht Rugby's partnership is built on shared values. There are three in particular that Sinéad highlights - ambition, belief and community.
"Dexcom are ambitious in terms of their treatment. They are creating hundreds of jobs out in Athenry. They're all about family.
"They're innovative and we hope we are too. We have this beautiful €50 million project to unveil which is all about stadium innovation, fan engagement, and guest experience, so there's a lot of shared values. I think that's why it's worked."
The High Performance Centre located directly beside the Dexcom Stadium was opened in April 2025 and has been a gamechanger for the players, coaching staff, and the general day-to-day staff at Connacht Rugby. To have everything under one roof encourages collaboration, enhances team spirit, and drives standards.
"It was like Santa Claus came early for us," says Sinéad.
"Now, the focus is on performance and it really helps in terms of consistency and standards. We're in an elite environment and it's all about standards and behaviours. As my colleague Eric Elwood calls them NTRs, there is certain things that there is no talent required for. Now it's all about performance on the pitch."
Raising the standards
"We're rolling out a new customer care policy and it's something we would have done at the Galway Races. The focus is on turning our fans into guests and making them feel special here when we welcome them in," Sinéad explains.
Part of this new customer care policy is the introduction of a guest experience team on the ground floor of the Clan Stand. Sinéad explains that Connacht Rugby are placing emphasis on making the fan experience accessible to everybody, no matter their circumstances. The Dexcom Stadium will have a range of new services that fosters inclusivity and accessibility.
"Community is at the heart of Connacht Rugby's DNA. We're all about community and we're all about inclusivity," says Sinéad.
Connacht Rugby are introducing audio descriptive commentary for visually impaired supporters. Earpieces will be available at the Clan Stand reception and a dedicated commentary team will describe what is going on on the pitch.
On the second floor of the Clan Stand, there will be a sensory room called the Solás Suite. The new space provides a quiet, calm environment for fans with special needs. There will be soft play and a "great view of the rugby pitch" for those who want to get away from the "hustle and bustle" of matchday. Dedicated changing facilities for those who require high level support will be in place for the Leinster game. Each floor of the new Clan Stand will be wheelchair accessible with dedicated wheelchair viewing areas and companion carer seating beside those wheelchair areas.
The new stadium also provides a number of family friendly services for matchdays. There are baby changing facilities on every level and buggy storage for parents, as well as baby bottle reheating services and free sanitary products.
"We're offering little things, but they mean a lot," outlines Sinéad.
It is Sinéad's and Connacht Rugby's hope that Dexcom Stadium's impact extends beyond the club itself.
"We want it to be seen as a hub for sport, community engagement and growth within the west of Ireland," she explains.
"It's going to be the largest conferencing space in the west of Ireland. We can take 600 plus seated for a banquet-style dinner, and we've a conferencing space and exhibition space within that large indoor pitch here in the High Performance Centre.
"We're here now to really make our presence known in the west of Ireland."
Sinéad says that there is a lot more sporting interest in Ireland from abroad at the moment, citing the NFL coming to Ireland as a massive example. She believes that everybody within the service industry has to "up their game and listen to what the customer wants and deliver on it".
Opening night
The new Clan Stand will hold 6,500 Connacht fans. It is a stand "built for the fans".
"Massive consultation went in. It's about understanding expectations and also understanding their requirements. When our fans and guests come here at Leinster and for all the matches going forward, you'll see a big change but also feel it.
"Of course, we're always looking for feedback. So if there's any changes that we can make, we want to hear them - we're all about those one per cent marginal gains."
Saturday promises to be a mouthwatering clash with tickets having been sold out for months now. There is a huge sense of anticipation and excitement across the province at the prospect of Connacht lining out in front of an increased maximum capacity against their bitter rivals.
"We're going to have 12,000 people here, and we're going to put on a really good party for them," teases Sinéad.
"All I will say is arrive early. Gates open at half-three. The kick-off is at half-five, and our marketing team have put together a really good guest experience. I can't say too much because we want it to be a surprise, but even thinking about it, the hairs on my arms are standing up here."
"We're big rivals. I know our team are revved up, they're very excited to put on an amazing performance," Sinéad adds.
Saturday marks the culmination of months of hard work, but also the beginning of what promises to be an exciting new era for Connacht Rugby. For Sinead, a Galway woman herself, there is an immense level of pride to arrive at this point.
Sinéad moved back to Galway 16 years ago. She only ever wanted to work for two companies - Galway Races and Connacht Rugby. She can tick both off the list.
"I'm just lucky to be part of the team here. I love what I do and I love working with really good people. Right now in my career, I couldn't be happier. I'm very proud, as a Galway girl, to be part of this project with the team here.
"I'm just looking forward to delivering on our promise, which is a really good matchday experience for everybody. You have a few euros in your pocket and you're spending them with us and our aim is to give you a really good time."
When the gates open and the stands begin to fill on Saturday evening, years of planning will give way to something much more powerful. Supporters back where they belong, connecting with each other, bringing the noise, and driving their team forward.
For Connacht Rugby, that moment will bring the project full circle - a stadium built with care, purpose and pride, ready to welcome supporters into a new chapter of the club’s story.
