How the Maze site could look if the plans get the go ahead
The prospect of a stadium being built at the Maze has been brought closer after the GAA, IFA and Ulster Rugby confirmed they would play games there.
The three organisations have all signed a document estimating the minimum number of supporters they would hope to attract there annually.
Raymond Kennedy, president of the Irish Football Association, said the move made good economic sense.
"We did look at the business case - the business case stacks up," he said.
"We agreed that we would probably play seven fixtures - three competitive, two or three friendlies, a Setanta Cup final maybe and the Irish Cup final."
The plan is for a 35,000-seater stadium for soccer and rugby, and the provision of more seats for GAA fans.
Cost
Renting the new stadium would cost the three main sporting bodies about £1m annually.
To pay for that, the GAA has said it could bring at least 150,000 spectators to its games.
It believes the new stadium could be used to stage an All-Ireland Quarter Final or a national league decider.
The IFA said it could attract at least 80,000 fans, while Ulster Rugby estimates it could bring about 40,000 supporters through the turnstiles.
The IFA has said it would play at least six international matches there per year.
Rugby would include at least one Autumn international and all of Ulster's home Heineken Cup matches.
That's all well and good (and nothing really new other than a signed commitment). It is all based on the assumption that the stadium gets the green light from the ‘folks on the hill’ and that is one BIG assumption.
The politics of this project is the rock on which it could founder, not the sporting commitment.
If it's pay per punter that's £148,148.15 or £3.70 each - not bad value, but I still don't think it will happen.
Last edited by GerryO' on Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mike Reid informed us at one stage that the Government had a plan for 30 games per annum of which 15 were to be Rugby.
MR also has spoken of smaller Autumn Intl's. (eg. USA) which effectively would be not more than one every other year. That may even have pre-dated the Thomond Plans.
All kinds of promises will be made and all manner of excuses concocted to break them. Best we can hope for is a second rate autumn international every other year. The IRFU have a new stadium in Dublin to justify and pay for and a revamp of Thomond. Nothing with money spinning potential will be heading our way any time soon. Are the GAA going to abandon Clones and Casement? Wise up.
The Maze stadium idea was a political brain-fart from a direct rule minister who had no idea what he was talking about.
Wingnut has jumped on the bandwagon as it suits his Lagan Valley agenda. When it comes to cold hard cash the GAA & IRFU will look after No.1. If it is built it will be a massive white elephant and lose a fortune every year.
Was it not reported recently that the 3 sports have now signed up to the Maze. I recall that UR said they would not sign up until they had seen the business plan so presumably that has already been made available.
I too would love to read the PWC report on the subject but will that ever be made public. I can't even see how UR could sign up to it the IRFU yes but not UR.
Also what of the development plans for Ravenhill did I not see somewhere that they moved forward in October this year. I recall we were told that by the autumn of 2007 work would be underway.
Cockatrice wrote:
I too would love to read the PWC report on the subject but will that ever be made public. I can't even see how UR could sign up to it the IRFU yes but not UR.
I have seen one of those somewhere and it involved severe number confusion to make thing add up if memory serves me right or is there yet another report recently ?
“That made me feel very special and underlined to me that Ulster is more than a team, it is a community and a rugby family" Rory Best