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

[Rawhide]

I have no problem with redveloping casement, as someone else said the money will be lost if not used up but I owuld have a problem taking Ulster Finals out of clones.

There is just something specal about ulster final day in Clones, I never liked going to casement but would be a great venue for Antrim gaels and fair play and good luck to them with it

I`d much rather travel to Belfast to a game than to Clones. Clones is a dive, full of drunks, it seems to bring out the worst in our youth and in many cases those who should have a bit more cop on. You dont get that in Casement. You can be back on the motorway within minutes after a game in Casement, you`ll spend hours trying to get out of a muddy field in Clones. Casement is long overdue this revamp, it cant  happen soon enough.

Has there ever been 35,000 people at a game in Casement? Difficult to make any valid comparison, but it has taken me a good while to get out onto the motorway after matches with 20,000 people.

I was there in 92 when Derry who were national league champions played down who were All Ireland champions. Casement was stuffed, full capacity, what a stadium when it was full, incredible atmosphere. Beat Clones any day when full like that

[theskull1]

I don't get the backlash to be honest.

When the concerns are explicitly outlined .... whats not to get? Why not try and debunk the concerns rather than remain confused?
E.G. Do you think there'll be a good atmosphere at county finals with 3000-5000 in a stadium that can house 35000?

[Walter Cronc]

I don't get the backlash to be honest.

When the concerns are explicitly outlined .... whats not to get? Why not try and debunk the concerns rather than remain confused?
E.G. Do you think there'll be a good atmosphere at county finals with 3000-5000 in a stadium that can house 35000?

Would a more sensible option for Antrim not be an Owenbeg type facility at Dunsilly?

[The Gs Man]

I don't get the backlash to be honest.

When the concerns are explicitly outlined .... whats not to get? Why not try and debunk the concerns rather than remain confused?
E.G. Do you think there'll be a good atmosphere at county finals with 3000-5000 in a stadium that can house 35000?

Surely 3000 - 5000 in a bowled stadium with good acoustics will be a much better atmosphere than 3000 - 5000 in a much more open ground like the old Casement?

Looking at it from a player's perspective too, how class would it be to get playing in a modern, fully closed in, state of the art facility?  The 4 occasions I played at the old Casement in colleges finals and with the club I can remember nearly every minute of them.  Feck, I'd give my right arm to be playing in a new stadium whether it be in front of 34 people never mind 34k. 

[Walter Cronc]

Very true. Croker is virtually empty for the Junior and Intermediate A.I finals. That doesn't detract from how special it is to the players and clubs involved!

[Clinker]

Antrim should start fundraising and build or renovate a ground of their own instead of planning to go cap in hand to the Ulster Council to borrow Casement for club finals or County National League matches.

[Croí na hÉireann]

Very true. Croker is virtually empty for the Junior and Intermediate A.I finals. That doesn't detract from how special it is to the players and clubs involved!

Yeah, players speak warmly of being able to hear their friends and family support from the stands in these virtually empty finals in Croker.

[theskull1]

You're dancing around the question Gs Man .... I never said the old casement had a good atmosphere .... it didn't

Would you look forward to watching your favorite band (with say a 5 thousand following) in a 35K stadium? I know the answer is no. Both the band and fans know the venue is critical for atmosphere and both would know a cavernous venue (which dwarfs the crowd attending) is shite for atmosphere. People would get turned off attending. You know this is the truth yet you expect the GAA fanbase to remain 'pious' and attend (and enjoy it) regardless 

To generate interest in our games Antrim should be looking for facilities that are capable of generating the right atmosphere for the crowd that we expect to be there. If not, then only the die hards will attend.   

You couldn't swing a cat round Dunsilly pitches .... there is zero space to develop. Shame there was no forward thinking in that regard

[Rossfan]

Antrim could always use Drogheda seeing as they don't like it want to use big or modern Stadiums

[Walter Cronc]

You're dancing around the question Gs Man .... I never said the old casement had a good atmosphere .... it didn't

Would you look forward to watching your favorite band (with say a 5 thousand following) in a 35K stadium? I know the answer is no. Both the band and fans know the venue is critical for atmosphere and both would know a cavernous venue (which dwarfs the crowd attending) is shite for atmosphere. People would get turned off attending. You know this is the truth yet you expect the GAA fanbase to remain 'pious' and attend (and enjoy it) regardless 

To generate interest in our games Antrim should be looking for facilities that are capable of generating the right atmosphere for the crowd that we expect to be there. If not, then only the die hards will attend.   

You couldn't swing a cat round Dunsilly pitches .... there is zero space to develop. Shame there was no forward thinking in that regard

Going by the following link the only 'permanent' barrier to development appears to be the railway line. On page 9 it references a spectator area. A 3k capacity stand is all that is needed to begin with!

http://www.antrimgaa.net/uploads/documents/Centre%20of%20Excellence%20PR%20Launch(1).pdf

[armaghniac]

To generate interest in our games Antrim should be looking for facilities that are capable of generating the right atmosphere for the crowd that we expect to be there. If not, then only the die hards will attend.   

Than let them build their own stadium with a 3000 capacity.

[angermanagement]

Antrim should start fundraising and build or renovate a ground of their own instead of planning to go cap in hand to the Ulster Council to borrow Casement for club finals or County National League matches.

Maybe the GAA should pay Antrim GAA the going rate for Casement, then they might be in a position to start building their own stadium.

[theskull1]

To generate interest in our games Antrim should be looking for facilities that are capable of generating the right atmosphere for the crowd that we expect to be there. If not, then only the die hards will attend.   

Than let them build their own stadium with a 3000 capacity.

Any reason for your tone? Could you not agree that its a reasonable point being made and that it needs to be considered?

[lolafrola]

Is this stadium not to be the show case for the Ulster final? Obviously Antrim benefit from the Re-development! Built it and they will come.

[The Gs Man]

You're dancing around the question Gs Man .... I never said the old casement had a good atmosphere .... it didn't

Would you look forward to watching your favorite band (with say a 5 thousand following) in a 35K stadium? I know the answer is no. Both the band and fans know the venue is critical for atmosphere and both would know a cavernous venue (which dwarfs the crowd attending) is shite for atmosphere. People would get turned off attending. You know this is the truth yet you expect the GAA fanbase to remain 'pious' and attend (and enjoy it) regardless 

To generate interest in our games Antrim should be looking for facilities that are capable of generating the right atmosphere for the crowd that we expect to be there. If not, then only the die hards will attend.   

You couldn't swing a cat round Dunsilly pitches .... there is zero space to develop. Shame there was no forward thinking in that regard

I think Walter's point is a good one.  Croke Park (or most stadiums in the land) are certainly not filled to capacity all the time, but I'm assuming they had a business plan in place before they decided on developing an 83k seater stadium to allow for the occasions where you're playing games at a lower capacity.  There's smarter men than me who'll have done the sums.

To take the bands analogy, I was at an event in the Odyssey a couple of weeks back where they closed the seats off and only had standing.  It was some night! 

But again, I'll go back to my earlier point, imagine a kid doing ball-boy or playing a half-time game, or a 17 year old college student playing an Ulster final in a modern stadium like that.  Imagine the buzz they'd get.  You'd have them hooked for life.

I dunno, I can see your points of course, but whatever the reasons on Belfast being chosen, there is not a thing that can be done about it now and it would be a shame to turn our noses up to 60 million or whatever it is. 

PS. I love a wee dance.