Casement upgrade proposed by GAA

[Maroon Heaven]

No matter what people say about Casement - Its just in a sh1t location.

No parking, Residents don't want it, Only one road in, Chaos on matchdays and that won't change, and no room to expand.

[Tyrone Dreamer]

8 games in last yrs ulster championship, how many had a capacity crowd at it?

Ulster final was full and replay couldnt have been far of it. Think there was 30,000 + at Armagh Down. Capacity crowd for both Tyrone Down games. 25k at Armagh Cavan. If they're doing it I hope they turn it into a top class stadium. 35k-40k would mean it would be big enough for all matches.

[Donagh]

That is a first for us Donagh.

Was thinking that as well.

It's not as if that land is going to be put to any other use. It's a brownfield site in the gift of OFMDFM (not the Sports Minister) to do with as they please. The Royal Ulster Agricultural Society are going to move out to it and develop their portion regardless so I don't see why we can't run with a scaled down version of the original project.Taking into consideration the free land, the goodwill of the relationship with IRFU built up over the past few years, our portion of the ring-fenced capital, some expertise and cash from Central Council and we're up and running. I honestly don't see why not, and a big shiny new 40k stadium by the side of the M1 would be a great statement of intent by the Association.

[mylestheslasher]

8 games in last yrs ulster championship, how many had a capacity crowd at it?

Ulster final was full and replay couldnt have been far of it. Think there was 30,000 + at Armagh Down. Capacity crowd for both Tyrone Down games. 25k at Armagh Cavan. If they're doing it I hope they turn it into a top class stadium. 35k-40k would mean it would be big enough for all matches.

I question your figures there. No way was there 25k at Cavan v Armagh anyway. But lets say your right. When will Omagh, Breffni, Clones, Newry etc see any sort of action when the new stadium is built. These grounds have all been recently done up at much expense, expense shared by ordinary members and local business to be discarded on the scrap heap as some eejits wet dream gets built. Smacks of the Bertie Bowl to me.

[Donagh]

I question your figures there. No way was there 25k at Cavan v Armagh anyway. But lets say your right. When will Omagh, Breffni, Clones, Newry etc see any sort of action when the new stadium is built. These grounds have all been recently done up at much expense, expense shared by ordinary members and local business to be discarded on the scrap heap as some eejits wet dream gets built. Smacks of the Bertie Bowl to me.

Omagh gets healthy enough crowds at the moment, the others will do the same when their counties gain a bit of success. Swings and roundabouts.

[armaghniac]

The official attendance at Cavan v Armagh last year was 22,657. These was 28K in 2004 when Cavan played Armagh in Clones. The point is not the this stadium is going to lead to tumbleweed in other stadia, but rather that not all games will be played in this mega stadium and Esler, Healy etc will continue to be used. So there will only be a handful of games gby at issue. Joining with rugby is great, but the probability is that rugger and soccer will just used one stadium with a smaller pitch. The number of games would be even less at a Maze location, but it might get some concerts, I suppose.

[Redhandfan]

Delighted to hear about the possible upgrading of Casement Park to an all-seater stadium which can accommodate really big games...this is definitely the way to go.  It would be a much more comfortable and pleasant experience going to a newly developed Casement Park on Ulster Final Day than Clones, which has had its big day.

I was never that excited about the prospect of having to share a stadium with the rugby and soccer either.  At least now, we won't have anti-GAA forces telling us when we can play our games, what to call the stadium, and how best to show respect to other traditions. 

[armaghniac]

This seems the best plan, upgrade Casement with emphasis on better, rather than more accommodation. Clones, the spiritual home of Ulster GAA, can then be expanded to 40000 capacity or so with a new stand at the bottom goal and a bit of tidying up.

Moving the county boundary to put Clones in the North seems complicated and it would be a very big stand that would be in Fermanagh.

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Wouldn't it be brilliant if we moved Croke Pk to somewhere in the middle of Kildare with a enormous car park round it and a dual carriageway right to the front door??

[Maguire01]

The number of games would be even less at a Maze location, but it might get some concerts, I suppose.

A GAA-only stadium in NI will not get concerts. Promoters will not use it for the same reason they wouldn't use Windsor Park (even if it was a decent stadium).

[Maguire01]

We need to have a showpiece stadium in the North which has easy access, dare I suggest access by public transport.  Imagine a stadium at the Maze with bus and train access with supporters travelling from Newry, Portadown, Lurgan, Belfast all by train.  Bus parks to encourage companies to lay on buses which will collect you from a car park in your local town and dropping you outside the stadium, not unlike the buses in Mountjoy Square for Croke Park. 

I'm not convined that public transport would provide much (if any) extra pulling power. People like their cars. And you don't need bus parks to encourage companies to start up routes from your home town - that could be done now at existing grounds if it is a viable idea in the first place. Also, the rail network is crap and serves very little of the province - especially the GAA strongholds.

Such a stadium could become the centerpiece for the championship with all 8 games being played in a series of weekends on the same ground with the ability to open and close sections of the ground depending on the size of ground.

What a bloody awful idea. That's exactly the argument against a new ground. That would be the end of every other ground in the province for everything except a few poorly attended league games.

[snatter]

This is the first detail I've seen on this.

I don't know where the £100M figure has come from.
The aerial photo perfectly highlights the problem with Casement - its hemmed in on three sides.
Just where are they meant to squeeze a 40k stadium into that site?
Unless they get their hands on some of the hosues, they'd be better doing what soccer is doing and get a free site off Belfast City Council.
Musgrave Park would be ideal.

http://www.belfastmedia.com/home_article.php?ID=1642




Exciting plans for Casement

Andersonstown News Monday 31st of March 2009

by Aine McEntee

Casement Park could become a 40,000 all-seater stadium if plans to upgrade the West Belfast venue get the go ahead.

The chairman of Antrim GAA County Board, John McSparran, said draft plans submitted to Sports Minister Gregory Campbell last week would make Casement a 40,000-seater stadium capable of hosting high-profile games including Ulster finals normally held south of the border in Clones or at Croke Park. It will also complement other rejuvenation proposals for West Belfast.

"I  have to say I'm delighted Casement Park has been selected for this by the Ulster Council," John said.

"This is a major coup for Antrim, Belfast and West Belfast and the positives of this must be highlighted."

Last month Gregory Campbell confirmed long-running speculation that the proposal to site a multi-purpose sports stadium at Long Kesh was no longer a runner.

At the end of January he said the project would not represent value for money and would cause community divisions.

He added that he wanted to help GAA, rugby and soccer who were going to be the main stakeholders in any project to develop solutions to their stadium needs.

John McSparran said government support, alongside local business interest, was crucial for the plan to succeed.

"Antrim as a county will have to make the financial commitment necessary for Casement to be developed," he said.

"The extent of that is unpredictable, but it will be considerable.

"It is important to say now to local business people to get behind us. We will be prepared to show our commitment and keep up our side of the bargain, but it is now time to stand up and be counted on this.

"We can't allow a situation where simply because we don't have the willingness to make the financial commitment this opportunity passes us by."

GAA bosses decided upon West Belfast and Casement Park rather than a green-field site in mid-Ulster specifically for its geographical location in Ireland's second city and its closeness to road networks.

It is understood that the overall project, which includes car-parking zones, could cost in the region of £100 million.

West Belfast MP Gerry Adams has lso welcomed the news.

"A state-of-the-art 40,000-plus seat stadium is required to meet the strategic needs of the GAA in Ulster," he said. "This can best be accommodated at Casement, subject of course to the rights of local people, particularly in the Owenvarragh area. Such a huge investment would be good for Belfast, Ireland's second largest city. It would also have significant and positive sporting cultural and commercial benefits for everyone in the North."

The Casement Park project comes just day after the Department for Social Development revealed details of the Andersonstown Gateway Project, which among other things would see an 'expo centre' built on the old Andersonstown barracks site and a new road-bridge linking Kennedy Way and Boucher Road.

[Maguire01]

The aerial photo perfectly highlights the problem with Casement - its hemmed in on three sides.
Just where are they meant to squeeze a 40k stadium into that site?

On all 4 really. There's no room for expansion - it would take a good architect to sort it out, given the need for backroom facilities on top of the 40,000. I'd also imagine that given the proximity of houses, there could wee be restrictions on height and any roof. Then again, it's not really in any worse position in this respect than Croke Park.

[ExiledGael]

Put a quarter of the money into upgarding one of the grounds we have, ideally Clones for me anyway. Always find Casement a characterless, dull place and it makes for a dreadful day out really.
Use the other 75 million for a host of full-time GAA coaches in the Belfast area and possibly new playing fields in the city for a huge number of kids who are forced to play on soccer/rugby pitches.
Belfast needs huge investment from the GAA but not like this.

[Intifadah]

The pic of the plans in the Irish News is interesting, looks like one tier all the way around and not really longer or wider than the current terracing, God knows how they would go about it, lowering the level even more than it currently is maybe?

I wouldn't mind it too much provided they found some way of sorting out parking and transport, but that seems near impossible so the best of luck to them.