Antrim Hurling

[Milltown Row2]

There will be a Min of 20 Days dedicated to school blitzes
20 free weekends free for club championship games (no more than 2 adult games in one day)
12 coaching/ fun days (one per month)
10 free Sundays for underage county finals
5 Concerts (Max)

I would HATE to watch club championship matches in a 38000 seater stadium. This is my main gripe. The lack of atmosphere will kill the occasion and in the long run the enthusiasm for our games.

Clones takes around 40000? but you've played in club games (All Ireland semis) and that would be in proportion?

If like Croke park you get the chance to play at the national stadium you'll do it because its not every weekend that'll you'll get that opportunity ... the numbers not making it great atmosphere is irrelevant I think (well I think so)

[theskull1]

There will be a Min of 20 Days dedicated to school blitzes
20 free weekends free for club championship games (no more than 2 adult games in one day)
12 coaching/ fun days (one per month)
10 free Sundays for underage county finals
5 Concerts (Max)

I would HATE to watch club championship matches in a 38000 seater stadium. This is my main gripe. The lack of atmosphere will kill the occasion and in the long run the enthusiasm for our games.

Clones takes around 40000? but you've played in club games (All Ireland semis) and that would be in proportion?

If like Croke park you get the chance to play at the national stadium you'll do it because its not every weekend that'll you'll get that opportunity ... the numbers not making it great atmosphere is irrelevant I think (well I think so)

comparing apples with onions MR. Casement as it was was close to the same capacity. And if truth be told it was too big and the stand too far away from the action. I didn't really like it for atmosphere

One off occasions can indeed suspend the reality, but with a clear perspective a 38K seater statium to house 3-5K support will always be a hollow empty experience for all involved

The Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard finals will be a perfect example of this. There'll be no atmosphere to savour at these games but this is what we can expect in a new Casement park every August/September

[Milltown Row2]

There will be a Min of 20 Days dedicated to school blitzes
20 free weekends free for club championship games (no more than 2 adult games in one day)
12 coaching/ fun days (one per month)
10 free Sundays for underage county finals
5 Concerts (Max)

I would HATE to watch club championship matches in a 38000 seater stadium. This is my main gripe. The lack of atmosphere will kill the occasion and in the long run the enthusiasm for our games.

Clones takes around 40000? but you've played in club games (All Ireland semis) and that would be in proportion?

If like Croke park you get the chance to play at the national stadium you'll do it because its not every weekend that'll you'll get that opportunity ... the numbers not making it great atmosphere is irrelevant I think (well I think so)

comparing apples with onions MR. Casement as it was was close to the same capacity. And if truth be told it was too big and the stand too far away from the action. I didn't really like it for atmosphere

One off occasions can indeed suspend the reality, but with a clear perspective a 38K seater statium to house 3-5K support will always be a hollow empty experience for all involved

The Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard finals will be a perfect example of this. There'll be no atmosphere to savour at these games but this is what we can expect in a new Casement park every August/September

It's never going to compare because we don't have the fan base to back it up, it will sell out on the big games... Ulster finals and quarter finals in the football, hell it might even get a All Ireland semi final for a change .. just to generate business ... but the stadium like most stadiums will be used for concerts and conferences and other sports will be allowed to use it to generate a revenue....

I'm more for getting something like Owenbeg which hopefully, that's what will happen with Dunsilly ...

Memories of Casement have been great to me, win lose or draw...

[theskull1]

I'm more for getting something like Owenbeg which hopefully, that's what will happen with Dunsilly ...

Havent seen the PR company led #get_her_built campaign for that yet MR, so reading between the lines it would appear that all the eggs (in terms of playing facilitied - not training facilities) are going to stay in the one big basket on the Andytown road from an AntrimGAA perspective.

[Jesusjones]

Belfast is the biggest city in Ulster and it is only right it gets the provincial stadium. By all means go for an Owenbeg at Dunsilly. Derry manage fine with Owenbeg and Celtic Park. I've been at lots of club finals at Croke Park with 10,000 in an 82,000 capacity stadium. Tremendous days they were for the club's involved. Why would the new Casement be any different?

[theskull1]

Belfast is the biggest city in Ulster and it is only right it gets the provincial stadium. By all means go for an Owenbeg at Dunsilly. Derry manage fine with Owenbeg and Celtic Park. I've been at lots of club finals at Croke Park with 10,000 in an 82,000 capacity stadium. Tremendous days they were for the club's involved. Why would the new Casement be any different?

An All Ireland Club Final is the pinnacle JJ. Were back to the suspended reality. The sense of occasion makes Croke Park thee venue and anyone going to support their team enjoys it for what it is

Antrim county finals in a fajazzled casement  wont have the same 'disney land' feel in the hearts and minds of any club supporter. You know this is true dont you?

You see that point about "By all means go for an Owenbeg at Dunsilly.".......
Are you trying to imply that its separate from the discussion in relation to what suits Antrim GAA?

Finally ... in regard to Celtic park ..... I'd say if you were to get the honest truth from dyed in the wool Derry GAA men (not just the myopic wans) , they'd be shot of the place IMO .

[bogieman]

Ive said this from the very start, the Old Casement held school blitzes,underage South antrim and county finals, club chamopioship games(senior, Intermediate and Junior), county training, NHL/NFL games, MCKenna Cup games, Walsh Cup games and County championship games with and without Antrim. The New Casement with a (how much it costs to open the ground) business case i fear will host Ulster Football championship games if we get a home draw, a few big qualifer games and for the first year or so the odd (look at us get the media in) school blitz and underage club championship final. after that it will be Conferences, conterts and 3 /4 big games max a year. i hope im wrong and its only my opinion but its a real gut feeling of mine that the men and women of antrim will be tourists in their own home after the dust settles and the photoshoots are done

Do you know any facts about how many GAA activities are regularly held in Croke ?
If you do, why do you think Casement would be any different for Ulster ?

PS. Just back from The Boss, great venue.

[btdtgtt]

Championship games aside , I cannot remember a decent crowd for a county league match in Casement. The idea of playing in an empty stadium is not a new thing.

That's true - but the millions and the delays around it are very new!
For young lads, playing there was still a great carrot and attraction to GAA - we may well lost that.
Slightly insular perhaps - but Belfast needs all the help it can get with hurling (and football) and a meaningful stadium would certainly help.

Fair to say that 85% plus of West Belfast have no connection or affinity to the GAA?
Plonking a stadium in there will have limited impact on that percentage of the population.

No.
Where'd u get that figure from?
Your back side obviously.
And you have neither any evidence of a stadium there for decades being "plonked" nor that a redevelopment will not have an impact. But I certainly think a waste ground or social housing - will definitely not help.
Sorry but that's an absolute nonsense post NAG.

I wasnt claiming to be totally accurate, my point being that you have a population that in the main do not come out to support the county or their own clubs in any sort of numbers. You have clubs struggling to get under age teams out even in amalgamations.

Setting a stadium in there that has no relevance to them will not change this. Yes the stadium has been there for decades and yes for decades the local population have largely ignored what happened inside the gates.

A provincial stadium does not cater for Antrim's needs. So what are the ulterior motives for building this stadium if it is not for the betterment of Antrim GAA?

Regardless of what figure you erroneously pluck from the air as percentage interest in Gaelic games in west Belfast - the numbers of people in the city (not to mention road network for access from Ulster) entirely justified the stadium to be in Belfast.

The point you make about Antrim rather than w provincial stadium is irrelevant - it IS a provincial stadium. It WILL be in Belfast.

If your idea is to neglect Belfast in favour of a separate more rural county stadium - I would suggest that a fair enough viewpoint. But leaving aside how long it's taken us to finance limited development there - 2 stadia so close together seems unjustifiable. And a county with as little success (&finance) as Antrim should be doing everything in our power to harness the existing numbers & potential in Belfast rather that packing up and moving to the great GAA stronghold of dunsilly.

[Jesusjones]

If you want a stadium in the middle of a GAA stronghold in Antrim you may put it on top of Orra Mountain. Slap bang in the middle of Cushendall, Loughgiel, Dunloy and Ballycastle.

[delgany]

Ballygalget V St Galls abandoned with 10 mins to go on wednesday evening!!   a wee bit of a fallout ?

[Milltown Row2]

Ballygalget V St Galls abandoned with 10 mins to go on wednesday evening!!   a wee bit of a fallout ?

Wasn't at it, heard about it

[Seamroga in exile]

If you want a stadium in the middle of a GAA stronghold in Antrim you may put it on top of Orra Mountain. Slap bang in the middle of Cushendall, Loughgiel, Dunloy and Ballycastle.

that's a nature reserve. I suggest build it on the loughgiel side. It's sunnier that side. 

[NAG1]

Championship games aside , I cannot remember a decent crowd for a county league match in Casement. The idea of playing in an empty stadium is not a new thing.

That's true - but the millions and the delays around it are very new!
For young lads, playing there was still a great carrot and attraction to GAA - we may well lost that.
Slightly insular perhaps - but Belfast needs all the help it can get with hurling (and football) and a meaningful stadium would certainly help.

Fair to say that 85% plus of West Belfast have no connection or affinity to the GAA?
Plonking a stadium in there will have limited impact on that percentage of the population.

No.
Where'd u get that figure from?
Your back side obviously.
And you have neither any evidence of a stadium there for decades being "plonked" nor that a redevelopment will not have an impact. But I certainly think a waste ground or social housing - will definitely not help.
Sorry but that's an absolute nonsense post NAG.

I wasnt claiming to be totally accurate, my point being that you have a population that in the main do not come out to support the county or their own clubs in any sort of numbers. You have clubs struggling to get under age teams out even in amalgamations.

Setting a stadium in there that has no relevance to them will not change this. Yes the stadium has been there for decades and yes for decades the local population have largely ignored what happened inside the gates.

A provincial stadium does not cater for Antrim's needs. So what are the ulterior motives for building this stadium if it is not for the betterment of Antrim GAA?

Regardless of what figure you erroneously pluck from the air as percentage interest in Gaelic games in west Belfast - the numbers of people in the city (not to mention road network for access from Ulster) entirely justified the stadium to be in Belfast.

The point you make about Antrim rather than w provincial stadium is irrelevant - it IS a provincial stadium. It WILL be in Belfast.

If your idea is to neglect Belfast in favour of a separate more rural county stadium - I would suggest that a fair enough viewpoint. But leaving aside how long it's taken us to finance limited development there - 2 stadia so close together seems unjustifiable. And a county with as little success (&finance) as Antrim should be doing everything in our power to harness the existing numbers & potential in Belfast rather that packing up and moving to the great GAA stronghold of dunsilly.

I'm not arguing for a stadium elsewhere my point is simply that the arguments being put forward for the stadium are completely flawEd now.

It is being sold now as a community facility so where is the benefit of a community facility for anyone who is not in that specific community?

Also I'm not hearing any strategies to go along side the stadium to revamp the GAA in Belfast.  We had the Belfast strategy a while back and things do not seem to have moved forward.

[theskull1]

Why the persistent attempts to ridicule JJ rather than deal with the arguments being made?

Does the PR machine not encourage debate?

[Tony Baloney]

If you want a stadium in the middle of a GAA stronghold in Antrim you may put it on top of Orra Mountain. Slap bang in the middle of Cushendall, Loughgiel, Dunloy and Ballycastle.

that's a nature reserve. I suggest build it on the loughgiel side. It's sunnier that side. 

Where would the locals go diffing if Orra Bridge was part of the new Casement?