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

[twohands!!!]

Casement should only be used if a near capacity crowd is expected, or at least 20,000 and up.

I've been waiting on this....

Indeed. Surely the likes of weareros can't be that stupid they dont realise the ulster council are going to try and fit everything they can think of into casement to try and justify it.

Scotstown vs. Trillick for instance? If Casement were built that's probably where it'd be.

Well... I suppose they are insisting on a relatively high maintenance cost millstone around the neck of the Gaa to little net benefit... So maybe they are that stupid.

Cork GAA have definitely gotten criticism recently for putting on club games in PuC that don't make sense in terms of dragging both clubs long distance from the same direction.
 
I'd say if Ulster GAA got a record of the number of games held at PuC since it opened and the attendances espcially for club games they would be a lot more prudent in terms of the whole Casement project.

Ulster GAA will no doubt be doing the same with the Ulster club championships - they will be dragging teams from all over Ulster up to Casement every chance they can.

In terms of big GAA games suddenly being played in Casement - the exact same stuff was said about PuC pretty much word-for-word. Since it's opened it's got pretty much close to S.F.A in terms of "extra" GAA games compared to what it would have hosted if the most minimal rennovations had been done. The two hurling quarter-finals the year it opened are pretty much the only "extra" GAA games it got. This was despite pretty much putting Cork GAA in examinership. Ulster GAA are deluded if they think Croke Park is going to hand over any significant games it doesn't have to, especially given how much money the corporate boxes bring in the Croke Park.

[johnnycool]

Was any League Final hurling or football played in De noo Páirc?

I think Limerick played Kilkenny in De noo Páirc in the National League final this year.

[illdecide]

The Northern Ireland secretary has said he is convinced football supporters will back Casement Park as a venue when Euro 2028 comes to the UK and Ireland.

Chris Heaton-Harris was responding to a letter from the Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters' Clubs.

It suggested Windsor Park could be expanded to accommodate the games.

Mr Heaton-Harris said he believed Northern Ireland fans would back Casement once it had been built.

Windsor Park is the home of the Northern Ireland football team, but its all-seater capacity of 18,500 is well below the minimum 30,000 requirement for the tournament finals.

Instead a redeveloped Casement Park was put forward as Northern Ireland's sole venue for the UK and Ireland bid.

However, the stadium, a Gaelic games ground, is currently derelict and plans for its redevelopment have been hit by delays and spiralling costs.
"I am actually quite convinced that football fans in Northern Ireland will get behind Casement Park," Mr Heaton-Harris told BBC News NI.

"I'm pretty sure that when it's built it will sell out in the Euros and beyond."

He said having a "strong legacy plan" for the stadium was important and drew economic comparison to the venues built for the London Olympics in 2012.

"Whenever people see what can be done there I think we'll be in a good space," he added.

The new stadium was originally due to cost £76m, but it is now expected to run to at least £110m.

It is not yet clear who will be paying for it, as Northern Ireland continues without a power-sharing government.

When Mr Heaton-Harris was asked when the government would spell out how much funding it is prepared to provide and when that would happen, he said he was not in a position to comment.

Casement Park and the long road to Euro 2028
Casement project has political and sporting significance
On Wednesday, the Irish Football Association (IFA) said there is "no route to fund an expansion" of Windsor Park to make it an alternative venue.

The proposed Casement Park stadium is set to accommodate 34,500 people, but there are concerns over whether it will be ready in time.

Its redevelopment has been hindered by a number of setbacks since first being suggested about a decade ago, including long-running legal challenges.

A number of concerns were raised in the letter from the Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters' Clubs.

These included questions over government funding promised to local clubs for the redevelopment of stadia more than a decade ago, which has not been distributed.

The organisation also suggested Northern Ireland fans may not be safe travelling to a venue in west Belfast, which has a predominantly nationalist population.

It said there would be implications for the legacy of the sport if Euro 2028 games were played at Casement Park and questioned the IFA's "plan-B" should the new stadium not be ready in time for the event.

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This isn't just a sporting or stadium story - it's a political story
Analysis by Mark Simpson, BBC News NI correspondent

There is a race against time going on, a race to get Casement built on time, to get the money to build it and also to try get the fans on board.

Patrick Nelson's language is significant. He wasn't saying to the fans: "I hear you, I feel your pain, we've all got to grin and bear this."

He was on the front foot saying: "We don't have the money to pay for expansion at Windsor Park, we have to go to Casement and you have to get on board."

The elephant in the room is that this isn't just a sporting story, a stadium story - it's a political story.

It's been a political football for many, many years and Patrick Nelson doesn't ignore that saying: "Given that people here on a journey after a difficult past it would be a shame if we missed this opportunity for better engagement between the communities. This is a pivotal moment for football and society."

I've spoken to fans at matches and they don't all feel the same. Some don't love the idea of going to Casement Park but say if Northern Ireland are playing they'll be there. Some fans say they will not go, no matter the circumstances and others are in the Patrick Nelson camp of "for the greater good, let's back this".

I daresay we'll be back at Windsor Park on Monday night to ask fans what they think of this latest development.

[seafoid]

While I attended and have nostalgia for big Connacht games on grassy embankments, all seating stadiums like Casement is the way to go for the future of gaelic games. English premiership is seeing the value of modern stadia. Try to get a ticket now to watch an Arsenal match at Highbury and it's sold out every week and tickets on exchange cost a fortune - despite the outcry and laments for the loss of the old terraces where Nick Hornby had a mystical experience watch Liam Brady's goal. Despite the huge improvement, they still could have done a better job with POC by making it all seater. If Casement fell through it would not be a viable replacement for Euros (not that it can be as was not on the list submitted). In an ideal world, there would be a top class all seater GAA stadium in each province in one of the cities.

I am not sure that enough punters especially in rural counties would be ready to pay the economic cost of tickets for fully seated stadia. Inflation has hammered GAA families. Both the Gardaí and teaching have huge falls in available staff. Public sector salaries are just not keeping up with living costs.

Pairc uí Chaoimh is a warning with its 50 ways of generating extra cash. If you build it they will come but will they pay ?

[Rossfan]

Wouldn't be safe going through a Nationalist area...
Maybe if ye just went to support yer team and mot turn it into an Orange parade, maybe if ye showed the Residents a bit of respect, maybe if ye could just try and be a little less bigoted....

You know.. try and act like normal people do

[marty34]

They're really pi$#ed off that this is going to happen.

Really annoying them.

[Armagh18]

They're really pi$#ed off that this is going to happen.

Really annoying them.

it is so great to see

[RedHand88]

Talkback today was hilarious. Missed the start but they had someone on (might have been a chairman of a NI supporters club) and his gripe was that Casement being a venue would mean no grassroots funding for youth football. When he was asked would he still object to Casement if grassroots funding was guaranteed he said ".....yes."
Then went on a bizarre rant about the GAA being a chill factor.  (Whatever that means)

Then we had some dose from Bangor telling us it was wrong to have a different sport in a stadium than intended and that it wouldn't work. He was reminded by the presenter that NFL regularly comes to Wembley, soccer/rugby both come to the Aviva, both were played in Croke Park etc.

They really are making a complete show of themselves.

[Wildweasel74]

If they built it at the Maze 10plus years, ago for all, they wouldn't be in the cost mire they are. DUP to take all the blame for that one. Even building a few new roads into it, still be way cheaper than the current cost plus Ravenhill and Windsor added in.

[AustinPowers]

If they built it at the Maze 10plus years, ago for all, they wouldn't be in the cost mire they are. DUP to take all the blame for that one. Even building a few new roads into it, still be way cheaper than the current cost plus Ravenhill and Windsor added in.

I don't believe the Maze stadium was ever  on  the cards.  The GAA played along  knowing that, and got a wad of cash for their troubles,  as did the soccer/rugby crowd

Even if the  Maze project was approved back then , the soccer crowd in particular would  have behaved exactly  like they are now regarding the Casement/Euros deal

[Sportacus]

Talkback today was hilarious. Missed the start but they had someone on (might have been a chairman of a NI supporters club) and his gripe was that Casement being a venue would mean no grassroots funding for youth football. When he was asked would he still object to Casement if grassroots funding was guaranteed he said ".....yes."
Then went on a bizarre rant about the GAA being a chill factor.  (Whatever that means)

Then we had some dose from Bangor telling us it was wrong to have a different sport in a stadium than intended and that it wouldn't work. He was reminded by the presenter that NFL regularly comes to Wembley, soccer/rugby both come to the Aviva, both were played in Croke Park etc.

They really are making a complete show of themselves.

Yer man's mask soon slipped.  Was he a TUV councillor, or maybe just a namesake? Half embarrassing, half depressing.

[SaffronSports]

I for one would be delighted to go and support whoever Northern Ireland are playing at Casement Park.

[snoopdog]

There will be no worry of sell out crowds for the euro games at casement regardless of who is playing. People will want to go.

[JPGJOHNNYG]

He was a TUV councillor. Interesting that the northern Ireland amalgamation of supporters club dude is so worried about having to go to Andersons town but obviously has no problem for others having to go to Windsor park which is nicely located in a loyalist heartland

[illdecide]

See it's no big surprise to us up here who have seen this behaviour all our lives and TBH we'd be shocked to see anything other than their hatred of anything Catholic/GAA/Nationalist/Republican blah blah. They can't hide it and never could but we are used to it. A few of our Southern Brethren can see it now but are probably not that bothered like the rest of the UK, all you have to look at is the abuse Irish players have received playing in England and Scotland because they're Catholic. If that abuse was about skin colour there'd be uproar but it's only Irish Catholic so move along there and sweep it under the carpet.
Anyway rant over and back to Casement...the ground will be full if it ever happens but I can tell you now for certain it will be full from others as the die hard NI supporters will not go to that venue. That's a fact...