Euro 2028

[Cockatrice]

So Casement makes the cut ahead of Old Trafford the London Stadium and others including Croke Park… if that white elephant ever gets built it will be a disgrace

[damianmcr]

Why?

[Dave]

Why?

Brexit

[Cockatrice]

Why?

34,500 capacity original cost £77m now at £140m plus paid by taxpayers for a county team that attracts similar crowds to Linfield 3-5 thousand and with the likelihood of one match per annum that might get close to full capacity… and that only if the GAA sees fit to move from the tax benefits of playing in Clones.

Now touted as NIs contribution to a U.K. and Ireland UEFA bid in 2028 and a ground that has lay derelict for the past ten years… every part of that is a disgrace

At least Ravenhill fills for the most part across the season.

[jean valjean]

I have no issues with casement being built. I suspect there has been significant pressure to include it in the euro bid in order to ensure it becomes a priority. The extra costs should not all be met by the taxpayer however as the GAA are more than capable of funding their increased share of the build pro rata. Maybe if ulster rugby ever get to host a home euro semi final or urc final we can fill it also.

[Dave]

It could hold concerts. The residents seem really dead on and chill about such things.

[damianmcr]

Why?

34,500 capacity original cost £77m now at £140m plus paid by taxpayers for a county team that attracts similar crowds to Linfield 3-5 thousand and with the likelihood of one match per annum that might get close to full capacity… and that only if the GAA sees fit to move from the tax benefits of playing in Clones.

Now touted as NIs contribution to a U.K. and Ireland UEFA bid in 2028 and a ground that has lay derelict for the past ten years… every part of that is a disgrace

At least Ravenhill fills for the most part across the season.

I think they'd definitely move from Clones. Clones is a dump, due to health and safety assessments the capacity has been reduced.

The AI format is changing with more neutral games so I think it would get a few games per year.

Yeah it's a pity Antrim are brad pitt. Doesn't help at all.

[Cockatrice]

I have no issues with casement being built. I suspect there has been significant pressure to include it in the euro bid in order to ensure it becomes a priority. The extra costs should not all be met by the taxpayer however as the GAA are more than capable of funding their increased share of the build pro rata. Maybe if ulster rugby ever get to host a home euro semi final or urc final we can fill it also.

I’ve no issue either except it should an appropriate size ground for the day to day use.. if the GAA want a 34,500 stadia to house one match a year then they should fork the bill but as it stands they are contributing some £10m so would need to double their commitment which I understand isn’t on their agenda..

They already stand to get a brad pitt load more than either football or rugby but at least both sports have had ten years use of more modern facilities rather than a derelict ground in ruin.

[Dave]

Repeat after me:
Themmuns get everything. We get nahin.

[Cockatrice]

Repeat after me:
Themmuns get everything. We get nahin.

Themmuns started it, not usuns but it’s thoseuns I’m weary of

[MightyRearranger]

So Casement makes the cut ahead of Old Trafford the London Stadium and others including Croke Park… if that white elephant ever gets built it will be a disgrace

Seems to be more or less one per city. Is it bad for them to try and spread the game throughout the Isles rather than concentrate them in a few places?

I would imagine that the majority of the people here would be happy for games to be played in Belfast they can attend without having to get on a plane.

Given Clones is a mess it makes perfect sense for the GAA to want to have q new stadium fit to host the provincial finals. It also makes sense to have that somewhere that isn't q complete horlix for 40k people to get in and out of. Questions of how far the government should be footing the bill are fair enough, though that doesn't seem to be your only issue with the place?

Given this is football, it should likely be on a different board, but what does make the announcement relevant to rugby is the suspension in principal of article 42 to host the football there. All of the Northern counties other than Down voted against this when Croke Park was opened up, so to see this proposal, which has presumably been green lit by the Ulster GAA Committee is a sign times are changing and that Casement, if built, might be an option for a home semi for Ulster in the future, should we ever get there again, which I'd personally prefer to a trip to Dublin.

Out of interest, I believe that there was a proposal to upgrade Ravenhill to 24k capacity if Ireland had won their rugby World Cup bid, which obviously isn't needed BAU. I wonder who was penciled in to foot the bill if that was the case.

[Cockatrice]

[quote=Cockatrice post_id=726862 time=<a href="tel:1681303226">1681303226</a> user_id=13]
So Casement makes the cut ahead of Old Trafford the London Stadium and others including Croke Park… if that white elephant ever gets built it will be a disgrace

Seems to be more or less one per city. Is it bad for them to try and spread the game throughout the Isles rather than concentrate them in a few places?

I would imagine that the majority of the people here would be happy for games to be played in Belfast they can attend without having to get on a plane.

Given Clones is a mess it makes perfect sense for the GAA to want to have q new stadium fit to host the provincial finals. It also makes sense to have that somewhere that isn't q complete horlix for 40k people to get in and out of. Questions of how far the government should be footing the bill are fair enough, though that doesn't seem to be your only issue with the place?

Given this is football, it should likely be on a different board, but what does make the announcement relevant to rugby is the suspension in principal of article 42 to host the football there. All of the Northern counties other than Down voted against this when Croke Park was opened up, so to see this proposal, which has presumably been green lit by the Ulster GAA Committee is a sign times are changing and that Casement, if built, might be an option for a home semi for Ulster in the future, should we ever get there again, which I'd personally prefer to a trip to Dublin.

Out of interest, I believe that there was a proposal to upgrade Ravenhill to 24k capacity if Ireland had won their rugby World Cup bid, which obviously isn't needed BAU. I wonder who was penciled in to foot the bill if that was the case.
[/quote]

My issues are public purse footing the bill and the fact that this is a GAA ground that has lay vacant for ten years now front and centre as show piece for NI football… I wonder have the IFA been blindsided by this although I note that they already have progressed plans to increase Windsor to over 30,000.

UR have already started to make plans for the expansion of Kingspan with purchases of surrounding properties … I suspect that in the long run like everyone they will expect us the taxpayer to foot the bill for all three..

[MightyRearranger]

WIth respect to Casement I don't know the specifics to be honest. I was under the impression that a load of money had been earmarked eons ago for the even bigger white elephant at Long Kesh, and that the original money earmarked for Casement was the GAAs share. If there is a shortfall, I agree it is highly questionable that it would be expected for the taxpayer to foot the bill, to be honest I hadn't heard that that was the case? I don't know if the potential use in a football tournament might be a screen to hide trying to make that happen behind?

A lot of the delays have been self inflicted by the GAA and associated politicians, trying to bypass planning laws and the like. While I'd be fairly scornful of that, it'd also be good for the GAA as a whole, including casual players and fans to have a provincial stadium fit for purpose. It'd also be good for Belfast as a whole, to host larger events from multiple sports, concerts etc, be it Casement, WIndsor Park or both.

Decisions like this sound like the sort of thing that a government would be good for...

[damianmcr]

WIth respect to Casement I don't know the specifics to be honest. I was under the impression that a load of money had been earmarked eons ago for the even bigger white elephant at Long Kesh, and that the original money earmarked for Casement was the GAAs share. If there is a shortfall, I agree it is highly questionable that it would be expected for the taxpayer to foot the bill, to be honest I hadn't heard that that was the case? I don't know if the potential use in a football tournament might be a screen to hide trying to make that happen behind?

A lot of the delays have been self inflicted by the GAA and associated politicians, trying to bypass planning laws and the like. While I'd be fairly scornful of that, it'd also be good for the GAA as a whole, including casual players and fans to have a provincial stadium fit for purpose. It'd also be good for Belfast as a whole, to host larger events from multiple sports, concerts etc, be it Casement, WIndsor Park or both.

Decisions like this sound like the sort of thing that a government would be good for...

Yeah my understanding is that the GAA have said any shortfall will have to be met by the Executive. I'd love Casement to be built but even I think they're taking the pi$h by not investing more.

[MightyRearranger]

Ah, nice to hear that it's their decision. Maybe Ulster rugby should say that the executive need to pay for the hybrid pitch, undersoil heating and a refurb of trap two.

For all the grief we give Ulster rugby, they got there money, and quickly had the work done within budget and next to no faff. The IFA made a bit of a hash of Windsor Park from memory and they're probably thankful Casement has been an even bigger shambles and makes their project seem reasonable. Windsor Park must have run over budget with the issues it had, did the taxpayer end up picking up the shortfall for that?