- By Mark Simpson
- BBC News NI community correspondent
An artist’s impression of the proposed stadium which would have a capacity of 34,500
The GAA has said it is at the limit of what it can contribute towards the redevelopment of Casement Park.
Brian McAvoy, Ulster GAA chief executive, said the UK government and Stormont Executive should now clarify their position on future funding.
He said the GAA was an amateur organisation without “the comforts of Fifa or Uefa or World Rugby or anything like that”.
“We’ll see what comes of the overall terms of the overall funding rounds because obviously the ball is very much in the court of the UK government and the executive, that’s really where the ball lies now.”
It has been suggested by Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Jim Shannon that the overall cost could be £220m.
The original price, calculated a decade ago, was £77.5m.
Mr McAvoy was speaking after the BBC revealed that the Casement Park redevelopment would not be completed in time for the 2027 Ulster Gaelic football final.
The GAA says the stadium should be ready by summer 2027, but it will be too late for the Ulster final that May.
Casement Park is also due to host international soccer games in the Euro 2028 tournament.
A series of warm-up events, including Gaelic games, are planned for the months leading up to the Euros.
There had been hopes among some GAA supporters that the Ulster senior football final would be played at the west Belfast stadium in 2027.
The stadium in west Belfast has been derelict for more than a decade
Mr McAvoy, said the “generous” financial commitment from the Irish Government was “hugely significant” and important for a range of initiatives.
He said it was impossible to know the full cost of the project.
“There’s been lots of figures – the cost of the stadium cannot be made until a contractor is secured,” he said.
“The department for communities are the contracting partners for this – they are working off a government framework and there is a process to this.
“The process is ongoing and there will be a contractor appointed later in the year – not in a matter of weeks.”
Questioned about the timescale for the plan Mr McAvoy said the GAA believed it would meet deadlines.
“We are confident with the necessary funding in place – that we will meet the Uefa deadlines in order to host Euro 2028,” he said.
On Tuesday at the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Newry and Armagh assembly member Justin McNulty invited Communities Minister Gordon Lyons of the DUP to join him at the “newly-built” Casement Park in 2027 for the Ulster final.
Mr Lyons replied saying “there are obviously a number of issues before we get to that stage”, namely sourcing funding for the new stadium.
Casement Park timeline
- 2013 – Planning permission for 38,000 capacity stadium
- 2014 – Planning approval quashed
- 2015 – Review of how project was handled
- 2017 – Application for smaller 34,500 capacity stadium
- 2020 – Infrastructure minister backs planning approval
- 2021 – Planning approval confirmed
- 2022 – Residents’ group loses challenge against plans
- April 2023 – Joint UK and Ireland bid for Euro 2028 with Casement as potential venue
- October 2023 – UK and Ireland announced as Euro 2028 hosts
- 2024 – Irish government announces €50m towards redevelopment
It is estimated that the rebuilding project, if it goes ahead, will take just under three years.
Uefa officials are expected to visit Belfast in the coming weeks to check on progress.
Stephen McGeehan of Ulster GAA said: “It will be a GAA stadium – it’s important to say that to the GAA membership.
“However, it will be a GAA stadium that is also Uefa-compliant – and there’s a lot of work going on now in relation to the internal configuration of the stadium, to look at the hospitality requirements that Uefa will have.”
The planned capacity of the new stadium is 34,500.
However, with no guarantee that the money to complete the project will be found, there is still a question mark over the redevelopment.
Casement Park is one of 10 venues in the UK and Ireland chosen to host matches in the Euro 2028 tournament.
A wrinkle in the process that’s often forgotten is that contractors were appointed previously for Casement Park but one of them, Buckingham Group Contracting, went bust.
That caused problems for a number of projects, not just for Casement Park.
It delayed the completion of a new stand at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, where another contractor had to be found to finish the job.
If the redevelopment of Casement park is re-tendered, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that the local contractors Heron Bros could be involved again.
Heron had previously formed a joint venture with Buckingham for the Casement project.
They may have to find a new specialist partner with previous experience in delivering major stadium projects.
As Liverpool’s experience has shown there will be people who are able to carry out this work and there will be a lot of interest in doing so, but there is a formal procurement process that has to be completed first.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
