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

[Rossfan]

Yer man still on his tiresome "Gah bad soccer good" campaign.

[Baile Brigín 2]

Until someone says how much money is available from all sources GAA, Irish Government, Stormont and UK the GAA won't know what it can or cannot build.
3 uncovered stands and one side of covered seating seems to be a wasted opportunity and would show a lack of ambition. Doesn't have to be an all seater mega stadium but lets hope Ulster and Antrim end up with something we actually want to attend, not another set of concrete steps to stand out in the rain on.

It's already known the Stormont has £62m, GAA £15m, 26 Co taxpayers €50m.
Only unknown is will the Brits give anything and how much.
Ambition is a great yoke but the real world needs you to pay for it.

That €50m from Dublin was for the Euro's build. It's off the table now. It's now soccers turn for stadium upgrades and academies.

Incorrect.

I'm fairly sure I am not. Why would Dublin put that level of money into a Belfast white elephant? Politically it would be toxic to bump a couple of years worth of needed infrastructure in other sports into this debacle.

[Baile Brigín 2]

Yer man still on his tiresome "Gah bad soccer good" campaign.

How so? What have I said that's incorrect or going against the herd here?

[Duine Inteacht Eile]

Until someone says how much money is available from all sources GAA, Irish Government, Stormont and UK the GAA won't know what it can or cannot build.
3 uncovered stands and one side of covered seating seems to be a wasted opportunity and would show a lack of ambition. Doesn't have to be an all seater mega stadium but lets hope Ulster and Antrim end up with something we actually want to attend, not another set of concrete steps to stand out in the rain on.

It's already known the Stormont has £62m, GAA £15m, 26 Co taxpayers €50m.
Only unknown is will the Brits give anything and how much.
Ambition is a great yoke but the real world needs you to pay for it.

That €50m from Dublin was for the Euro's build. It's off the table now. It's now soccers turn for stadium upgrades and academies.

Incorrect.

I'm fairly sure I am not. Why would Dublin put that level of money into a Belfast white elephant? Politically it would be toxic to bump a couple of years worth of needed infrastructure in other sports into this debacle.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/taoiseach-simon-harris-says-he-stands-by-50m-pledge-for-casement-park-after-uk-government-pulls-out/a1288434909.html

Have you seen an update on this?

[Baile Brigín 2]

Until someone says how much money is available from all sources GAA, Irish Government, Stormont and UK the GAA won't know what it can or cannot build.
3 uncovered stands and one side of covered seating seems to be a wasted opportunity and would show a lack of ambition. Doesn't have to be an all seater mega stadium but lets hope Ulster and Antrim end up with something we actually want to attend, not another set of concrete steps to stand out in the rain on.

It's already known the Stormont has £62m, GAA £15m, 26 Co taxpayers €50m.
Only unknown is will the Brits give anything and how much.
Ambition is a great yoke but the real world needs you to pay for it.

That €50m from Dublin was for the Euro's build. It's off the table now. It's now soccers turn for stadium upgrades and academies.

Incorrect.

I'm fairly sure I am not. Why would Dublin put that level of money into a Belfast white elephant? Politically it would be toxic to bump a couple of years worth of needed infrastructure in other sports into this debacle.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/taoiseach-simon-harris-says-he-stands-by-50m-pledge-for-casement-park-after-uk-government-pulls-out/a1288434909.html

Have you seen an update on this?

I'll have a dig for the link, but I definitely read it had quietly been dropped, at least from the Sport budget. Fine Gael now have the department so can't see it as a priority for them.

Didn't they do some switcheroo on the grant for the NY ground? It went in under an emigrant culture thing as opposed to a sports grant as the Department of Sport objected on various grounds?

[rodney trotter]

You should be able to find it if you read it.

[illdecide]

Why are most of you singling out Casement Pk for funding?. Funding is allocated to projects from Governments both Brits, Irish and Lottery etc all the time and has done for years. The grants can be questioned for all projects and asked is it value for money and is it needed. Did we need Ravenhill, Windsor Park, Dundonald Ice Bow. Did all the schools need upgraded or rebuilt, do Translink need £100m every year for subsidiary, do we need all this?. The truth is we can build cheaper and stop free travel for pensioners and pay for prescriptions, the point is funding is provided all the time and in most cases will not be value for money.
Did Ulster Council and GAA f**K it up?. Absolutely they did, no one is denying this but FFS just get on with it and build the poxy thing, you can go on-line and yap about something else to fill your joyful day or get a life.

Whether we like it or not we are taxpaying members of the British state, so every time they piss millions up the wall its coming out of our pockets. Spending hundreds of millions on a stadium that will be lucky to be filled 15 times in the next 20 years is bordering on the immoral. The IFA and Ulster rugby lads at least had the brains to cut their cloth accordingly. I don't see why we should be giving the GAA free reign to build a white elephant that will weigh around the neck of those funding it like a millstone.

If the GAA had sense and built a good sound 20,000 seater stadium for Antrim back in 2011 then we'd have none of this perpetual shitshow since. What's unforgiveable is that after nearly 20 years of getting kicked back they still haven't taken the hint that they should just build a smaller, more sensible stadium that's acceptable to the residents and acceptable for their sponsors (the british gov, GAA) to finance.

Of all the things you've listed none come anywhere near the level of waste that Casement will be. Ravenhill was redeveloped into an 18,000 seater for ~15 million, Windsor was 30 million. Ulster GAA are looking 250 million to do Casement. Comparing Casement funding to Translink or schools funding is just a strawman argument. Schools are used 5 days a week, 40 weeks a year, a vital part of our society and always have been. Translink move thousands of people daily, to work, for travel, to hospital appts. Just because there is sometimes waste or inefficiency their tendering in no way justifies spunking 100 million on a Ulster GAA vanity project.

Do the sensible thing Ulster GAA, take 100 mill, build the stadium you can afford.

I don't disagree with your points and it might sound that way in some of the things i'm saying but maybe i'm not wording it right...I've said from day 1 the GAA made a balls of the thing and that's a fact. It has been politicised and is a bit like us v them for it...Ravenhill and Windsor were considerably cheaper but if they were being built now they'd be 3 or 4 times the original cost and that's another fact so people are not considering this when they're factoring in the cost of Casement but my main point is when the Government gave £50m or whatever the figure was to an ice bowl in Dundonald no one batted an eye lid or complained that there was no call for it or one half the size was enough for the people that attended it but once GAA is mentioned it's a different story. I actually don't care if they build Casement with 34k or 20k I just want it built but I would prefer it with 34k and have Ulster finals and maybe All Ireland quarter finals in it too. Concerts and other events would be perfect and the area would flourish with it there

[trileacman]

The only argument anyone can make in favour of a 200 mil Casement is that ussun's are getting the money off themum's and so we should wholeheartedly support waste in the interest of showing the Prods up. It's the kind of illogical small-minded bigotry that makes NI such a kip.

The kind of people who'll cheerlead a big funding announcement on Wednesday are the types who'll never darken a GAA stadiums door.

[GTP]

Until someone says how much money is available from all sources GAA, Irish Government, Stormont and UK the GAA won't know what it can or cannot build.
3 uncovered stands and one side of covered seating seems to be a wasted opportunity and would show a lack of ambition. Doesn't have to be an all seater mega stadium but lets hope Ulster and Antrim end up with something we actually want to attend, not another set of concrete steps to stand out in the rain on.

It's already known the Stormont has £62m, GAA £15m, 26 Co taxpayers €50m.
Only unknown is will the Brits give anything and how much.
Ambition is a great yoke but the real world needs you to pay for it.

Already more than enough money to get it done . The GAA don't need a 40k all seater. 2 stands and 2 open terraces can surely be more than delivered with figures above.

If you are building something new what is the point of not building something better? The provincial grounds may have an atmosphere but in terms of being modern stadia the facilities are not up to scratch. An uncovered stand is not a good place to watch a match especially at full capacity. And don't get me started on basics like the toilets. The GAA would be better building nothing than compounding the errors already made by building something sh*t.

[naka]

Until someone says how much money is available from all sources GAA, Irish Government, Stormont and UK the GAA won't know what it can or cannot build.
3 uncovered stands and one side of covered seating seems to be a wasted opportunity and would show a lack of ambition. Doesn't have to be an all seater mega stadium but lets hope Ulster and Antrim end up with something we actually want to attend, not another set of concrete steps to stand out in the rain on.

It's already known the Stormont has £62m, GAA £15m, 26 Co taxpayers €50m.
Only unknown is will the Brits give anything and how much.
Ambition is a great yoke but the real world needs you to pay for it.

Already more than enough money to get it done . The GAA don't need a 40k all seater. 2 stands and 2 open terraces can surely be more than delivered with figures above.

If you are building something new what is the point of not building something better? The provincial grounds may have an atmosphere but in terms of being modern stadia the facilities are not up to scratch. An uncovered stand is not a good place to watch a match especially at full capacity. And don't get me started on basics like the toilets. The GAA would be better building nothing than compounding the errors already made by building something sh*t.

Antrim has no county ground so something needs built.
Do we need a 35k/40k stadium at £200m
I don't believe so
Use the £100 m that's already there and build a decent stadium
As a nationalist tax payer who is steeped in the gaa even i am thinking wtf when I see the mess in the nhs, water infrastructure  as well as everything else that is crying out

[armaghniac]

Until someone says how much money is available from all sources GAA, Irish Government, Stormont and UK the GAA won't know what it can or cannot build.
3 uncovered stands and one side of covered seating seems to be a wasted opportunity and would show a lack of ambition. Doesn't have to be an all seater mega stadium but lets hope Ulster and Antrim end up with something we actually want to attend, not another set of concrete steps to stand out in the rain on.

It's already known the Stormont has £62m, GAA £15m, 26 Co taxpayers €50m.
Only unknown is will the Brits give anything and how much.
Ambition is a great yoke but the real world needs you to pay for it.

Already more than enough money to get it done . The GAA don't need a 40k all seater. 2 stands and 2 open terraces can surely be more than delivered with figures above.

If you are building something new what is the point of not building something better? The provincial grounds may have an atmosphere but in terms of being modern stadia the facilities are not up to scratch. An uncovered stand is not a good place to watch a match especially at full capacity. And don't get me started on basics like the toilets. The GAA would be better building nothing than compounding the errors already made by building something sh*t.

Of course the new Casement should have excellent toilets. But if the uncovered terrace at the ends is only going to be used once a year then it is hard to justify spending 50m on it. You'd be better to build something in Armagh where the ground would be more than half full several times a year.

[Baile Brigín 2]

Until someone says how much money is available from all sources GAA, Irish Government, Stormont and UK the GAA won't know what it can or cannot build.
3 uncovered stands and one side of covered seating seems to be a wasted opportunity and would show a lack of ambition. Doesn't have to be an all seater mega stadium but lets hope Ulster and Antrim end up with something we actually want to attend, not another set of concrete steps to stand out in the rain on.

It's already known the Stormont has £62m, GAA £15m, 26 Co taxpayers €50m.
Only unknown is will the Brits give anything and how much.
Ambition is a great yoke but the real world needs you to pay for it.

Already more than enough money to get it done . The GAA don't need a 40k all seater. 2 stands and 2 open terraces can surely be more than delivered with figures above.

If you are building something new what is the point of not building something better? The provincial grounds may have an atmosphere but in terms of being modern stadia the facilities are not up to scratch. An uncovered stand is not a good place to watch a match especially at full capacity. And don't get me started on basics like the toilets. The GAA would be better building nothing than compounding the errors already made by building something sh*t.

Antrim has no county ground so something needs built.
Do we need a 35k/40k stadium at £200m
I don't believe so
Use the £100 m that's already there and build a decent stadium
As a nationalist tax payer who is steeped in the gaa even i am thinking wtf when I see the mess in the nhs, water infrastructure  as well as everything else that is crying out

So the question begs asking. Why don't they build that? It's blindingly obvious they can't get the ginormodome built. So build a decent provincial ground.

[marty34]

We'll know more tomorrow what the Brits have planned.

[smelmoth]

Until someone says how much money is available from all sources GAA, Irish Government, Stormont and UK the GAA won't know what it can or cannot build.
3 uncovered stands and one side of covered seating seems to be a wasted opportunity and would show a lack of ambition. Doesn't have to be an all seater mega stadium but lets hope Ulster and Antrim end up with something we actually want to attend, not another set of concrete steps to stand out in the rain on.

It's already known the Stormont has £62m, GAA £15m, 26 Co taxpayers €50m.
Only unknown is will the Brits give anything and how much.
Ambition is a great yoke but the real world needs you to pay for it.

That €50m from Dublin was for the Euro's build. It's off the table now. It's now soccers turn for stadium upgrades and academies.

Incorrect.

I'm fairly sure I am not. Why would Dublin put that level of money into a Belfast white elephant? Politically it would be toxic to bump a couple of years worth of needed infrastructure in other sports into this debacle.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/taoiseach-simon-harris-says-he-stands-by-50m-pledge-for-casement-park-after-uk-government-pulls-out/a1288434909.html

Have you seen an update on this?

I'll have a dig for the link, but I definitely read it had quietly been dropped, at least from the Sport budget. Fine Gael now have the department so can't see it as a priority for them.

Didn't they do some switcheroo on the grant for the NY ground? It went in under an emigrant culture thing as opposed to a sports grant as the Department of Sport objected on various grounds?

Why do you have to dig for a link that someone has sent you?

Also can you provide for a link for some of the stuff you are posting eg the allocation for the RoI sports budget. If that was ever a thing then it must have been good number of years ago. The RoI money for this project is from the Shared Island Fund. That has been on the table for years and is on the table today.

[rodney trotter]

Until someone says how much money is available from all sources GAA, Irish Government, Stormont and UK the GAA won't know what it can or cannot build.
3 uncovered stands and one side of covered seating seems to be a wasted opportunity and would show a lack of ambition. Doesn't have to be an all seater mega stadium but lets hope Ulster and Antrim end up with something we actually want to attend, not another set of concrete steps to stand out in the rain on.

It's already known the Stormont has £62m, GAA £15m, 26 Co taxpayers €50m.
Only unknown is will the Brits give anything and how much.
Ambition is a great yoke but the real world needs you to pay for it.

That €50m from Dublin was for the Euro's build. It's off the table now. It's now soccers turn for stadium upgrades and academies.

Your own Club Rovers got a stadium funded by South Dublin Co Council. Bohemians got big funding for the redeveloped Dalymount though the large scale infastructure. Other Clubs have crap facilities because they have not done enough to get funding. Dundalk had a half arse design that didn't meet the requirements.