GAA hopeful of lower-spec Casement Park rebuild without excessive use of funds

The GAA has expressed hope that a lower spec redevelopment of Casement Park can be delivered without an excessive drain on the public purse.

GAA president Jarlath Burns said the organisation was still planning for a venue with a capacity in excess of 30,000 but he that the fit-out would be more “modest and basic” than what was envisaged when the stadium was earmarked as a host venue for the Euro 2028 football tournament.

It is understood the GAA has now reverted to the plan it had in place for Casement prior to it being selected as a Euros venue.

Mr Burns led a GAA delegation in a meeting with Stormont’s Communities Minister Gordon Lyons in Belfast to discuss the stalled project on Thursday.

In September, the UK government torpedoed hopes that the currently derelict west Belfast venue would host games in Euro 2028 when it announced that it would not bridge a funding gap to deliver the redevelopment in time.

Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said the risk to the public purse of missing the tournament deadline was too high. The Government also expressed concerns about how the cost of the project had potentially risen to more than £400 million.

The Stormont Executive had committed to redevelop Casement Park in 2011 as part of a stadium strategy that delivered revamps for football’s Windsor Park and the rugby ground at Ravenhill.

While the two other Belfast-based projects went ahead, the redevelopment of Casement then was delayed because of legal challenges by local residents.

Then, the Stormont executive committed £62.5 million to the Casement project. The GAA has pledged to contribute £15 million.

The Irish Government has offered roughly £42 million towards the project and said this funding remains in place even