Casement Park in line for major overhaul - 40,000 all seater Stadium.

Started by Joxer, October 06, 2010, 02:42:28 PM

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armaghniac

Quote from: Armagh18 on July 12, 2024, 12:40:22 PMWhy should the 50m be dependent on the Euros?

If Euros arent happening then 30k fully covered would be perfect. 

Why should the Dublin government start providing county grounds in the 6 counties? Are they also obliged to do up Windsor Park?
MAGA Make Armagh Great Again

tiempo

Aah but will it look like a pringle?

If its going to look like a pringle ye can stick yer £80-120m up yer hole

tiempo

Quote from: armaghniac on July 12, 2024, 12:52:29 PM
Quote from: Armagh18 on July 12, 2024, 12:40:22 PMWhy should the 50m be dependent on the Euros?

If Euros arent happening then 30k fully covered would be perfect. 

Why should the Dublin government start providing county grounds in the 6 counties? Are they also obliged to do up Windsor Park?

Reparations for being quislings historically

armaghniac

Quote from: tiempo on July 12, 2024, 12:53:43 PM
Quote from: armaghniac on July 12, 2024, 12:52:29 PM
Quote from: Armagh18 on July 12, 2024, 12:40:22 PMWhy should the 50m be dependent on the Euros?

If Euros arent happening then 30k fully covered would be perfect. 

Why should the Dublin government start providing county grounds in the 6 counties? Are they also obliged to do up Windsor Park?

Reparations for being quislings historically

While the 6 counties are run by the British then they should pay for it. Having the Irish government fund everything without any change is madness
MAGA Make Armagh Great Again

tiempo

Quote from: armaghniac on July 12, 2024, 12:56:36 PM
Quote from: tiempo on July 12, 2024, 12:53:43 PM
Quote from: armaghniac on July 12, 2024, 12:52:29 PM
Quote from: Armagh18 on July 12, 2024, 12:40:22 PMWhy should the 50m be dependent on the Euros?

If Euros arent happening then 30k fully covered would be perfect. 

Why should the Dublin government start providing county grounds in the 6 counties? Are they also obliged to do up Windsor Park?

Reparations for being quislings historically

While the 6 counties are run by the British then they should pay for it. Having the Irish government fund everything without any change is madness

The free state gov have offered a conditional contribution towards, funding everything is something you seem to have just invented

armaghniac

Quote from: tiempo on July 12, 2024, 01:11:19 PM
Quote from: armaghniac on July 12, 2024, 12:56:36 PM
Quote from: tiempo on July 12, 2024, 12:53:43 PM
Quote from: armaghniac on July 12, 2024, 12:52:29 PM
Quote from: Armagh18 on July 12, 2024, 12:40:22 PMWhy should the 50m be dependent on the Euros?

If Euros arent happening then 30k fully covered would be perfect. 

Why should the Dublin government start providing county grounds in the 6 counties? Are they also obliged to do up Windsor Park?

Reparations for being quislings historically

While the 6 counties are run by the British then they should pay for it. Having the Irish government fund everything without any change is madness

The free state gov have offered a conditional contribution towards, funding everything is something you seem to have just invented

Conditional on the Euros.
MAGA Make Armagh Great Again

clonadmad

Quote from: Armagh18 on July 12, 2024, 12:40:22 PMWhy should the 50m be dependent on the Euros?

If Euros arent happening then 30k fully covered would be perfect. 

Because the Irish Government who are handing over €50m set the terms and conditions for that amount, that they are handing over

And the terms and conditions were towards the redevelopment costs of Casement being a host venue for the 2028 Euro's

If that doesn't happen

It's off the table

tiempo

Quote from: armaghniac on July 12, 2024, 01:28:00 PM
Quote from: tiempo on July 12, 2024, 01:11:19 PM
Quote from: armaghniac on July 12, 2024, 12:56:36 PM
Quote from: tiempo on July 12, 2024, 12:53:43 PM
Quote from: armaghniac on July 12, 2024, 12:52:29 PM
Quote from: Armagh18 on July 12, 2024, 12:40:22 PMWhy should the 50m be dependent on the Euros?

If Euros arent happening then 30k fully covered would be perfect. 

Why should the Dublin government start providing county grounds in the 6 counties? Are they also obliged to do up Windsor Park?

Reparations for being quislings historically

While the 6 counties are run by the British then they should pay for it. Having the Irish government fund everything without any change is madness

The free state gov have offered a conditional contribution towards, funding everything is something you seem to have just invented

Conditional on the Euros.

£50m

Rossfan

Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM

weareros

Don't think the €50m is contingent on Euros. It was announced as part of a cross border initiative package from Dublin Gov albeit clearly with uncertainly over Euros funding in mind and to put a bit of pressure on Heaton Harris to pay up (bastard never did). I think it's important for Belfast to have a great GAA stadium regardless of Euro28. Ideal scenario would be for our wee county to lose Euros and a class Casement to get built. And maybe even an Icelandic Dentist to lead Ireland to glory (if we can nab one of those 2 automatic qualifying spots).

armaghniac

Quote from: weareros on July 12, 2024, 06:00:24 PMDon't think the €50m is contingent on Euros. It was announced as part of a cross border initiative package from Dublin Gov albeit clearly with uncertainly over Euros funding in mind and to put a bit of pressure on Heaton Harris to pay up (bastard never did). I think it's important for Belfast to have a great GAA stadium regardless of Euro28. Ideal scenario would be for our wee county to lose Euros and a class Casement to get built. And maybe even an Icelandic Dentist to lead Ireland to glory (if we can nab one of those 2 automatic qualifying spots).

As I said, can the Dublin government just give Antrim money for a ground. How would that go with other counties wanting grounds or other sports wanting grounds? Perhaps they could give something as an Ulster stadium, but that could be no more than half the amount Stormont gives. The Euro was a good chance to put something extra in on the basis that the British were doing so.
MAGA Make Armagh Great Again

Duine Inteacht Eile

Just to be clear, Antrim have signed over full ownership of Casement Park to Ulster GAA. Any funding being provided for Casement Park is not funding to Antrim GAA.

Rossfan

Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM


armaghniac

From the Times. Notice the Shite about Sue Gray's pub, you would think that it was in Cullyhanna, not Mayobridge
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Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff has been accused of "subverting" cabinet ministers in an effort to secure a government bailout to cover the £310 million cost of rebuilding a derelict stadium in Belfast.

Sue Gray has angered government officials and ministers by "personally dominating" negotiations for a bailout for Casement Park, a dilapidated Gaelic games venue due to host matches at the 2028 European football championship.

Gray's close interest in the project, which is politically contentious in Northern Ireland, has caused resentment among Labour ministers who have been told there is no money for new spending commitments.

The row is also likely to invite new scrutiny of Gray's personal and political links to Northern Ireland, where she maintains a home, ran a pub at the height of the Troubles, and whose finance department she ran between 2018 and 2021.

A Stormont source familiar with discussions about the bailout described Gray as "very close" to Conor Murphy, the Sinn Fein finance minister whose party has led calls for a bailout.

Her involvement has deepened concerns in government about the scope of Gray's remit, with a Whitehall source criticising her involvement as "an unelected member of staff spending public money on an area of interest to them, subverting cabinet".

"It's constitutionally improper," the source added. Another person involved in conversations about the stadium suggested Gray had shown a closer interest in Casement Park than in the province's health service. It is understood no public money has been spent on the stadium.

The ground is the only Northern Irish venue due to host matches at the tournament, which will be co-hosted by England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Many in government fear the scale of the work needed to revive the stadium means it could become a "white elephant" that will not be completed in time.

Government sources said Gray, who is thought to be on a salary of up to £144,000, was pushing for the government to announce new funding as early as this week, a deadline Downing Street has indicated will not be met.

It is not the first time Gray has found herself at the centre of controversy.

A career civil servant, Gray rose to prominence as director general of the Cabinet Office's propriety and ethics team, overseeing investigations into accusations of ministerial sleaze.

The partygate scandal elevated her to a household name, conducting the official inquiry into unlawful lockdown gatherings in Downing Street. Her eventual report found a failure of leadership in No 10 and is cited by allies of Boris Johnson as having played a decisive role in his resignation.

She quit the civil service in March last year to join Starmer's team, prompting controversy and a Cabinet Office inquiry that found she had broken the civil service code. Acoba, the appointments watchdog, later sanctioned her appointment.

In the role, she has been credited with professionalising Starmer's operation and integrating the then shadow cabinet, now cabinet, into decision-making. She has, however, alienated some with her no-nonsense approach: this year she is said to have left staff in tears after a "heavy-handed" leak inquiry.

Downing Street sources said that no decision on the future of Casement Park had been made and an announcement was not imminent. They said suggestions Gray was "personally dominating" negotiations were overblown.

Michelle O'Neill, the Sinn Fein first minister, has nonetheless vowed to ensure the stadium is built "on her watch" and said on Sunday evening: "The next time a ball is kicked for the European Championship, it could be in Casement Park."

Northern Ireland Office insiders point out that no contract has been awarded for the construction of the 34,500-seat facility — whose cost has ballooned from £73 million to £310 million since Casement Park's closure in 2013.

A construction firm withdrew last year, citing the "passage of time" and spiralling costs. It is thought work will need to begin by the autumn at the latest for the stadium to be ready in time.

Between them, Stormont's power-sharing executive, the Irish government and Gaelic Athletic Association have pledged less than half the total cost. The devolved administration has committed to spending £62.5m, the Irish government has promised £42.8m and the GAA £15m.

Starmer pledged to resolve the impasse on his first visit to Northern Ireland as prime minister this month. He said at Stormont: "A number of issues were discussed this morning and as you would expect, finance came up, the health service came up, Casement Park came up. We addressed those constructively. I understand the case in relation to investment and financing in particular. We will work to resolve those issues constructively."

Assembly members who met the prime minister said he had made no concrete commitment to covering the entirety of the shortfall.

Starmer is likely to discuss the spiralling costs of the project with Simon Harris, the Irish taoiseach, when the two men meet on Wednesday. Harris signalled last weekend that his government could increase the size of its contribution to avoid the "missed opportunity" of Euro 2028 games not taking place in Northern Ireland.

The selection of Casement Park as a venue for Euro 2028 has been a cause of division in Northern Irish football from the day it was chosen (Martyn Ziegler writes).

Those backing the choice say it is the only way Northern Ireland would be able to host matches in an international football tournament, and would redevelop a crumbling ground that has been derelict for ten years in an area crying out for investment.

Others, including official Northern Ireland fans' groups, are deeply opposed. That is particularly the case among unionists, because Casement Park is a Gaelic football stadium in a republican area.

Banners proclaiming "No Casement" were unfurled by fans at Northern Ireland's matches against San Marino and Slovenia last autumn; a poll for the Belfast Telegraph showed 54 per cent of people backed having Euro 2028 matches at Casement Park but 31 per cent were against — with seven out of ten unionists saying they were against games being played there.

The Amalgamation of Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs (AONISC) has opposed the choice of venue on the basis that Casement Park will benefit a rival sport, with only four football matches played there before it returns to Gaelic football and hurling. It also said some fans had expressed worries about not feeling safe travelling to the area.

With a capacity of 18,500, Windsor Park — Northern Ireland's biggest stadium — is too small to host Euros matches. In November, Patrick Nelson, the chief executive of the Irish FA, ruled out any prospect of Windsor Park being expanded.

With time running out, the Irish FA, which runs football in Northern Ireland, has been hoping for a rescue package. The Tory government had promised funding for the redevelopment — the cost of which was originally stated to be £73 million but has now multiplied — but it never materialised.

The Irish FA chief admitted this year there was a "disparity of views" but described it as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to show the world what a wonderful country Northern Ireland is". He also confirmed there would be no plans to play football at Casement Park beyond the Euros.

Sue Gray's involvement is unlikely to be a unifying factor. The fact she and her husband ran a pub during the Troubles a short drive from the border with the Republic of Ireland is viewed with suspicion by those opposing the plan.

Uefa is unlikely to intervene: there is already a contingency plan to split Belfast's four matches, with a game each going to Wembley Stadium, Cardiff, Dublin and Hampden Park in Glasgow.

An extra match at Wembley in particular would deliver considerably more to Uefa in terms of ticket sales and hospitality income.
MAGA Make Armagh Great Again