Hopefully it is but if the GAA change to a smaller stadium like some of us here are suggesting that would cost less than 50m then I don't see the government paying for the whole thing. They will want the GAA and NI to fork out a percentage.
It's a government. When can they ever be taken at their word.
I am fairly certain the stadium money has always been ring fenced. I do not see any scenario where the GAA get nothing.
If you mean the NI Executive have the original £100m sitting in an account for the last decade just waiting for construction to start before handing it over, I'd be certain that's not the case.
My God they are still dragging out casement park the authortys need to be honest at this stage. While Harris is teasing them with maybe more funds we have kerry county board taking the state to court for the visa money.
https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2024/0714/1459812-simon-harris/
It's not dragged out in the sense that Labour being newly in power may be a game changer. Im delighted that it now looks very likely that its going to be built, whether its for euros or not, or scaled back or not. Whatever is going on in Kerry is a separate issue.
Back on again. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/pm-starmer-backs-300m-casement-park-plan-for-euro-2028/a725610442.html
Best of luck to starmer explaining to labour voters why key infastructure projects in the UK are been cancelled and Casement gets built.
https://www.fleetpoint.org/road-building-repairs/key-transport-infrastructure-projects-cancelled/
Good news. Hopefully it will progress quickly and end the doubts about the Euros coming to the North.
Why does a GAA ground care about the Euros coming to NI. Have we not seen enough graveyard games in Croke Park to figure out that these stadiums are pie in the Sky. Soccer will get the hell promoted out of it on this Island for no cost at all and the GAA will pick a bill for €50m and the costs to run the place for the next 50yrs. Are people a bit touched that they're so gung ho to see this proceeding when the upside to the GAA is zero.
The GAA themselves want this so I doubt the upside is zero. And who gives a sht if soccer gets promoted. It's not the 1960's anymore.
It's not about a GAA ground caring about the Euros. It's an opportunity for the GAA to develop a top class stadium with the majority of the funding support provided by 2 governments. It is unlikely that this opportunity will come around again for decades. In stark contrast to Clones, Belfast is the second largest city on the island and should be well capable of sustaining a 34k capacity stadium. It's not another 80k+ stadium like Croke Park. Because the stadium will be of international standard it will be capable of hosting other events other than GAA (if the GAA wishes) - soccer, rugby, concerts, corporate and cultural events etc. This will be added revenue to the GAA. With gaelic games growing in popularity even in east Belfast there are great opportunities for attracting more fans to the games. The GAA in the north is so strong it has nothing to fear regarding the promotion of other sports. That only reflect an insecurity in some people.
Nowhere can sustain a stadium on one big game a year plus maybe a concert ot two.
It's in a county with a tiny support base, a terrible location to get to for all counties in the north and being built to a standard and size which is completely out of step with what is required. Show me one other stadium that will have €300m spent on it to sit idle 364 days per year. This isn't Qatar. And Clones won't be giving up the UF without a fight so there's no guarantee it doesn't sit idle 365 days.
They Say to open Croke Park they need a gate of 25k to break even. Pro rata, this stadium will need 10k minimum. Good luck getting 10k to Antrim games.
No business spends money to promote their competitors. It's idiotic to even suggest it. At least you'll get a few quid off rugby for renting facilities. Soccer brings zero to the table.
A place with 2 motorways and several railway lines is not especially difficult to get to.
The object has to be to give Antrim a kick up the hole and get some sort of crowd, the potential is there.
Very small minded attitude and lacking any sort of future vision for Belfast needing a proper stadium. As i said it could function as a municipal type stadium like they have across Europe. Renting out and making profit from other sports isn't promoting competitors. Such narrow minded insecurity.
Very disingenuous post to say it would be idle 364 days. Clearly wouldn't between all the potential events already stated. Rugby , soccer, concerts, religious festivals, corporate events.
How many times now has this exact same over and back been done on this thread 🤣
I think you're the one being disingenuous. The IFA want nothing to do with it and their supporters definitely don't want to go there. They have Windsor park anyway. The rugby have Ravenhill. It may pick up an Ireland friendly, but capacity wise it doesn't suit the IRFU to leave Croke Park or Aviva. So you're basically building a stadium for a couple of concerts. As for religious festivals in West Belfast, don't make me laugh.
Casement Park would not be capable of hosting a France vs England Euro 2028 match for example, only a small match.
I would say they already have a substitute stadium on standby.
Casement Park was probably only named in the first place as they had to include each province.
Belfast already has two stadiums which were mostly rebuilt relatively recently. Why are they not "proper" stadiums? The users of those stadiums very rarely need a larger stadium. There is very little potential to rent out a 34k stadium in Belfast.
To say Belfast not having another stadium is "lacking any sort of future vision for Belfast" is very odd. Of the things Belfast needs, another stadium should be well down the list.
By province I assume you mean constituent part of the UK.
I agree to an extent.
As they were including the repulbic they had to include the north for political reasons, but if they had not needed the repulbic for the bid they could have just ignored the north.
It was easier just to include Casement Park for the box ticking exercise, and then dump it later.
UEFA/FIFA are very good at that.
Who said it would have to be a game such as France vs England? Are you saying now it should be bigger? The minimum capacity set down by UEFA for the tournament is 30K which will suit certain group games so not sure where you are going with that. They could come up with an alternative for most or all of the venues if required. They probably have a substitute stadium available for all the venues but that's not a reason not to host games.
"Casement Park was probably only named in the first place as they had to include each province."
Yes each of the 4 countries/provinces comprising the UK is intended to hold games. Casement was chosen because other stadia in the province were not deemed suitable. Again not sure what point you are making there.
Argue all you want but it's pretty futile. It's going to be built anyway - either before or after the Euros so I look forward to seeing Belfast as the 2nd largest city on the island rightly having a proper medium sized stadium to cater for it's growing population.
I refer to my last point. It's going to be built and I'm much more positive about it's future than you are. It's not a big stadium and Belfast needs it. Looking for to seeing it built in spite of the naysayers.
It's nothing to do with UEFA/FIFA.
I am only coming at it from a Euros point of view.
Somebody named that "stadium" for the Euros so its fair game to be discussed,
Yes it is, because they are the ones that will dump Casement when the time comes.
Will not be long now.
Not sure how it's fair game unless you think leaving out one of the 4 regions is ok. A UK and Republic of Ireland without NI seems very unfair to NI.
But it is not them that wanted it included for "box ticking" and it's not them didn't get it built. So not sure what "form" they have here.
UEFA (nothing to do with FIFA) set a very generous deadline and will be rightly cutting Belfast if they don't start building.
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