Ulster's finances

[HammerTime]

Surely the GAA wouldn’t have the nerve to charge us too much considering the scandalous amount of money it’s going to cost the taxpayer overall??

[jean valjean]

Surely the GAA wouldn’t have the nerve to charge us too much considering the scandalous amount of money it’s going to cost the taxpayer overall??

Not known as the grab all association for no reason. Charged the irfu 1.5m per match in 2008 for the 6 nations for the use of croker. Interesting if cheap usage for other sports are written into any contract for the build.

[HammerTime]

And they were probably right to ... at say 80 euro average ticket x 82000 is about 6.5 million or so for the IRFU. But Casement, at the price it's going to be (over 300 million) If the GAA were anyway decent they'd be giving practically free/low cost usage to the other two sports. It should be the de facto National Stadium in NI.

[Bobbievee]

And we are back to the original problem. Who wants to play NI soccer matches in a 35000 stadium with a 20000 crowd, or an Ulster rugby match with 15/18000 crowd?

[HammerTime]

New stadium effect. People want to go and experience it for the first few years. Play a big European match there or against a NZ xv with cheap ticket prices and marketed well and it would work. Even 28k at Casement would still look good. Other than the euros (potentially) I couldn't see NI going back there to play ever. Ulster Rugby could get great use out of it IMO. (1-2 matches per year).

[Cap'n Grumpy]

New stadium effect. People want to go and experience it for the first few years. Play a big European match there or against a NZ xv with cheap ticket prices and marketed well and it would work. Even 28k at Casement would still look good. Other than the euros (potentially) I couldn't see NI going back there to play ever. Ulster Rugby could get great use out of it IMO. (1-2 matches per year).

We struggle to sell out Ravers these days, so why would we suddenly be selling 28K, especially when in this sad wee country there are still a significant number of people who would be reluctant to attend a match in West Belfast, and for a variety of reasons.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

And we are back to the original problem. Who wants to play NI soccer matches in a 35000 stadium with a 20000 crowd, or an Ulster rugby match with 15/18000 crowd?

Which can be accommodated at Ravers anyway.

Why would we pay GAA to host a match we can host ourselves, let alone lose out on bar and food franchises?

[Bobbievee]

So football won’t go there, and rugby doesn’t need to go there…..maybe except for artificially set up matches.
So GAA are probably the sole users…….and therefore the sole financiers.
Imagine the Treasury in London deciding whether we put 200 million into the GB health service, education, controlling immigration, potholes……….or a gaa pitch in Northern Ireland?!! A real vote catcher

[HammerTime]

New stadium effect. People want to go and experience it for the first few years. Play a big European match there or against a NZ xv with cheap ticket prices and marketed well and it would work. Even 28k at Casement would still look good. Other than the euros (potentially) I couldn't see NI going back there to play ever. Ulster Rugby could get great use out of it IMO. (1-2 matches per year).

We struggle to sell out Ravers these days, so why would we suddenly be selling 28K, especially when in this sad wee country there are still a significant number of people who would be reluctant to attend a match in West Belfast, and for a variety of reasons.

And we might gain many fans who would otherwise not go near us. Munster were getting 9-10k per game and booked that game v SA. Winning that game won them the league last year. Now they're selling out crusaders and NZ games with ease.

[justinr73]

New stadium effect. People want to go and experience it for the first few years. Play a big European match there or against a NZ xv with cheap ticket prices and marketed well and it would work. Even 28k at Casement would still look good. Other than the euros (potentially) I couldn't see NI going back there to play ever. Ulster Rugby could get great use out of it IMO. (1-2 matches per year).

We struggle to sell out Ravers these days, so why would we suddenly be selling 28K, especially when in this sad wee country there are still a significant number of people who would be reluctant to attend a match in West Belfast, and for a variety of reasons.

And we might gain many fans who would otherwise not go near us. Munster were getting 9-10k per game and booked that game v SA. Winning that game won them the league last year. Now they're selling out crusaders and NZ games with ease.

40,000 turned up to see a load of Saffer reserves that play in the URC.

[Cockatrice]

So football won’t go there, and rugby doesn’t need to go there…..maybe except for artificially set up matches.
So GAA are probably the sole users…….and therefore the sole financiers.
Imagine the Treasury in London deciding whether we put 200 million into the GB health service, education, controlling immigration, potholes……….or a gaa pitch in Northern Ireland?!! A real vote catcher

We don’t need to go but the IrFU have given the green light to doing so… ie Ulster ever get to a QF and need the bigger stadium and probably put forward for the very odd smaller international just to confirm support..

Call me what you want but I’ll never go there

[promenader 2]

So football won’t go there, and rugby doesn’t need to go there…..maybe except for artificially set up matches.
So GAA are probably the sole users…….and therefore the sole financiers.
Imagine the Treasury in London deciding whether we put 200 million into the GB health service, education, controlling immigration, potholes……….or a gaa pitch in Northern Ireland?!! A real vote catcher

Even if rugby and football don't go there, and I don't believe that will be the case, there's still boxing and music events. And, of course, GAA matches. Every time there's a big event, the local economy benefits by millions - people spend money in hotels, bars, fast food outlets, restaurants, and tourist attractions. The government gets the VAT on those things. A stadium is a long-term financial investment. I can understand people being against it for political reasons, but arguing against it on financial grounds doesn't make sense.

[Big Smoke Culchie]

So football won’t go there, and rugby doesn’t need to go there…..maybe except for artificially set up matches.
So GAA are probably the sole users…….and therefore the sole financiers.
Imagine the Treasury in London deciding whether we put 200 million into the GB health service, education, controlling immigration, potholes……….or a gaa pitch in Northern Ireland?!! A real vote catcher

We don’t need to go but the IrFU have given the green light to doing so… ie Ulster ever get to a QF and need the bigger stadium and probably put forward for the very odd smaller international just to confirm support..

Call me what you want but I’ll never go there

Same.

They should still build it, though. If they can justify where funding is coming from, it should be built. If the GAA can open up Croke Park with its past history, certain elements within Unionism should show a bit of magnanimity around the whole thing.

Maybe a younger generation won't have a problem with it. I won't be going near it.

[rumncoke]

Doubt if many would go simple reason if they stone buses coming home from Dublin what protection have people coming out onto the Falls Road.

[nonplussed]

I'd be happy to attend a match over in Andytown, and would happily take my kids.