Northern Ireland is set to play a hosting part in the Euro 2028 Finals, with the redevelopment of Casement Park set to start in early 2024 to make it happen.
A home away from home, the west Belfast venue is not one accustomed to hosting association football – rather, it is the historical heart and soul of Gaelic games in Co Antrim that, when rebuilt, will allow major GAA events to be hosted in a showroom-quality venue.
Following the existing redevelopment of Windsor Park and Ulster Rugby’s Ravenhill venue in Castlereagh, Casement is the next in line to be built. The ground, which has fallen into a state of disrepair and has overcome legal challenges from local resident groups for its reconstruction to get under way, comes from the same line of Government funding that allowed for Windsor and Ravenhill to be modernised.
Windsor Park is, of course, the Northern Ireland national team’s home ground of choice, but it will not be there where Michael O’Neill’s men – should they qualify – will play their matches in the upcoming Finals.
Not everyone is happy about it. Ever since the UK/Ireland’s bid’s acceptance for host rights in the quadrennial showcase, intermittent chants suggesting Casement Park be shoved where the sun doesn’t shine have intensified.
Others believe that risks apply from a logistical point of view and, as such, the consideration of a ‘Plan B’ should be made public if issues arise in making the Andersonstown Road arena match-ready before the tournament.
That’s precisely the question the chairman of the Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters’ Clubs (AONISC) posed to the Irish FA last month.
Gary McAllister signed off a letter addressed to IFA Chief Executive Patrick Nelson that raised points of concern ahead of the competition taking place.
In the statement, a few lines stand out.
McAllister noted that, “it is our understanding that UEFA’s strict regulations around hosting tournaments demand that stadia be ‘match ready’ two years before the tournament gets underway”, and “to host matches, Casement Park will require additional seating capacity beyond what is planned to be available (circa 26,000)”.
This led onto the following: “With this in mind, has there been a proper exploration of the potential for the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park (which has an existing capacity of just over 18,000, some 12,000 below the required amount to host matches at tournaments like Euro 2028) to receive investment to allow some increase in capacity with the potential for further expansion by way of temporary seating, as will undoubtedly be the case at Casement Park?”
Nelson’s response to a Windsor Park expansion was forthright, insisting that, “there is no current funding opportunity from government for any extension of the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park”.
The 2026 completion date, it is hoped, will have Casement Park fully up to speed well in advance of UEFA’s deadline.
A finished stadium is not the be all and end all, though, and people who follow the domestic football scene and beyond are requesting clarity on what is set to follow.
That buzzword, ‘legacy’.
Clubs have been waiting on Sub-Regional Stadia for a decade and more, and the initial agreed sum of £36m has been deemed far below what is needed by Nelson’s own admission. In the IFA chief’s view, £120m ‘just for the Irish League clubs’ is the required amount – a more than tripling.
Casement Park, which is projected by some to cost upwards of £160m, is expected to be funded by both the UK and Irish Governments as well as the GAA, although the latter have laid out that they plan not to exceed the £15m contribution that they had green-lighted in the first place.
Like many things in Northern Ireland, it is a sensitive issue. It’s also a money issue, and a cost of living crisis that’s unfolded has sadly told us of this all too well.
Frustration can be understood in that context and, yes, naturally for something of this magnitude, people want to know the full ins and outs of how this will work.
The AONISC’s view on Nelson’s reply was that they felt it “failed (sic) to address concerns. We will continue to press the IFA and other stakeholders for further disclosure”. Discussions will rumble on.
However we view things, though, and whether we agree or disagree with certain aspects of how a process plays out, it is important that whatever happens in the wider scheme, perspective is retained.
Featured image from PA Wire.
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