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

[twohands!!!]

For anyone thinking the Irish government's €50 million contribution was off the table.

https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-foreign-affairs/press-releases/statement-from-the-t%C3%A1naiste-on-funding-for-casement-park-announced-as-part-of-the-uk-governments-spending-review/

https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/minister-accused-of-cynical-waiting-game-amid-mystery-over-casement-park-paper-one-year-on/a2001245983.html

Shortly before Christmas 2024, GAA President Jarlath Burns wrote to Mr Lyons, beginning by complimenting him for "your commitment to the role and to the communities you serve is evident".

He then says two "critical action points" were raised at an October 31 meeting which were to write to the Executive, requesting that "Casement Park be put on the agenda for discussion at a forthcoming meeting."

The second ask was to write to Hilary Benn requesting a meeting to get his perspective on securing central funding.

GAA President Jarlath Burns (Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile)

Mr Burns added: "The GAA community is eager to understand the progress being made and to see tangible actions that reflect the significance of this project."

Mr Lyons was told that his "leadership and advocacy are instrumental in bringing Casement Park to fruition".

Commenting on the delayed progress, SDLP Opposition leader Matthew O'Toole MLA said: "Casement Park is lost in limbo. Despite pledges of extra money from both the Irish and British Governments, the Executive has done nothing to advance the project since returning.

"The transformative prospect of the Euros is a distant memory. The DUP and their minister appear to have played a cynical waiting game, but that has been made worse by Sinn Féin apparently being unable or unwilling to advance the issue.

"The Finance Minister repeatedly speaks of 'standing ready' and that may be the correct analogy for Sinn Féin frozen into inaction, failing the gaels of Ulster and the people of West Belfast."

Has anyone asked Jarlath and the Ulster Council what they have been doing in terms of making any sort of progress on Casement in the last 12 months?

I mean if you were looking to give Stormont, London and Dublin the perfect excuse to tell you to piss off when you turn up begging for them to increase the millions they are handing over, then basically sitting around doing absolutely nothing seems like the perfect course of action if you want them to tell you to do one.

[marty34]

Is the GAA just waiting about until 'someone else' does something about Casement?

We're soon into 2026 - another year.

This has been some mess by the head muppets at Uster GAA.

A prime example on how not to do a project like this.

[Sportacus]

Is the GAA just waiting about until 'someone else' does something about Casement?

We're soon into 2026 - another year.

This has been some mess by the head muppets at Uster GAA.

A prime example on how not to do a project like this.

2026 will be the year Sinn Fein and DUP go into election mode so there'll be the usual helping of big talk and no action.  It will also be the year Starmer, Reeves and Benn get the road when Labour get destroyed in the Welsh and Scottish elections, but Casement won't even be in the new crowds top 200 issues to deal with. Ulster Council have been a bunch of amateurs about this.  So I really don't know where it goes from here when you think about who is in the room.

[Wildweasel74]

Its not getting built to the design submitted, need some sort of reality on this. Take the money you have, build a 2 sided seated and either end terraced. Forgot the corporate boxes etc. Why keep dragging this on, year on year. If somebody make the call 10yrs ago, it be built, how much money value has been lost due to inflation, covid rate increases etc. The reality is, it was going to be full, 1 gaa match per year. Nothing was learned from the Cork stadium mistakes. Its the millions on consultant,design, and legal fees rattles me, feels like wasted money like the Ballygawley to Strabane road millions wasted.

[Belfast GAA man]

Jarlath wants to talk about anything but casement
Pontius Pilate stuff

[AustinPowers]

What did the March  by fans achieve prior to the Antrim Armagh game  months  ago?

There's no point  crying to the Brits or Stormont about it. Neither gives a f**k , nor will they move it forward

Fans  would   be better marching to Ulster GAA HQ and demand  they scale down their vanity project. 

Otherwise, we'll still be here in another ten years waiting for  Casement to start

[Belfast GAA man]

It's a GAA ground closed by the GAA and should be the GAa that should re open it
Come on jalath do something about it

[Tony Baloney]

Its not getting built to the design submitted, need some sort of reality on this. Take the money you have, build a 2 sided seated and either end terraced. Forgot the corporate boxes etc. Why keep dragging this on, year on year. If somebody make the call 10yrs ago, it be built, how much money value has been lost due to inflation, covid rate increases etc. The reality is, it was going to be full, 1 gaa match per year. Nothing was learned from the Cork stadium mistakes. Its the millions on consultant,design, and legal fees rattles me, feels like wasted money like the Ballygawley to Strabane road millions wasted.

For the boys involved the corporate and premium areas are the single most important part of the project. They'll not be sitting with the riff-raff.

[Baile Brigín 2]

Its not getting built to the design submitted, need some sort of reality on this. Take the money you have, build a 2 sided seated and either end terraced. Forgot the corporate boxes etc. Why keep dragging this on, year on year. If somebody make the call 10yrs ago, it be built, how much money value has been lost due to inflation, covid rate increases etc. The reality is, it was going to be full, 1 gaa match per year. Nothing was learned from the Cork stadium mistakes. Its the millions on consultant,design, and legal fees rattles me, feels like wasted money like the Ballygawley to Strabane road millions wasted.

The problem is monetising it. If you have concert ambitions then corporate seats are a must.

Otherwise it's just another county ground, which might be what we end up with.

[RadioGAAGAA]

Otherwise it's just another county ground, which might be what we end up with.

Which is all we ever needed to start with.

[Rossfan]

From Srormont Finance Minister's draft budget...

The minister is also proposing more than £100 million for the long-delayed redevelopment of the Casement Park GAA ground in west Belfast.

That is significantly more than the £62.5 million the Executive originally ringfenced for the project in 2011, with Mr O'Dowd applying an uplift based on an estimate of construction cost inflation in the intervening years.

The plan also allocates around £67 million to the sub regional stadia programme to upgrade and improve smaller stadiums and sporting venues across Northern Ireland – a sum that has also been enhanced with an inflationary uplift.

[p3427977]

From Srormont Finance Minister's draft budget...

The minister is also proposing more than £100 million for the long-delayed redevelopment of the Casement Park GAA ground in west Belfast.

That is significantly more than the £62.5 million the Executive originally ringfenced for the project in 2011, with Mr O'Dowd applying an uplift based on an estimate of construction cost inflation in the intervening years.

The plan also allocates around £67 million to the sub regional stadia programme to upgrade and improve smaller stadiums and sporting venues across Northern Ireland – a sum that has also been enhanced with an inflationary uplift.

Good to link it with the money for soccer. Harder for Unionism to say no. Lyons has been telling everyone how great the sub regional stadia programme is.

[LC]

Who is actually in charge of the Casement project is it Ulster GAA or is there a separately appointed board.  If it is the latter what are they actually being paid to do.  With the funding situation in abeyance I would imagine their hands are tied.

[p3427977]

Who is actually in charge of the Casement project is it Ulster GAA or is there a separately appointed board.  If it is the latter what are they actually being paid to do.  With the funding situation in abeyance I would imagine their hands are tied.

Probably Ulster GAA with some input from DfC and DoF. DoF will complete the procurement. I'd love to know how much the Civil Service have wasted on their project team. Could have built Casement with it 

[Jimmy]

Update from Ulster GAA

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/c1evz7y7jw4o