Smaller Casement Park ‘logical conclusion’ amid funding pressures, claims DUP minister

A smaller Casement Park is the “logical conclusion” to funding pressures surrounding the problem-hit refurbishment, North’s Communities Minister has said.

Gordon Lyons said the financing currently pledged by his department to the GAA stadium will remain available, but claims that the project has “gone wrong” under his leadership are “detached from reality”.

The minister’s comments come following reports the GAA has conceded that the redeveloped stadium’s capacity will be far below its planned size of 34,500.

If the stadium is scaled back to a capacity in the 20,000 range, it will not be big enough to host provincial matches such as the Ulster senior football final.

That annual fixture is currently held at St Tiernach’s Park GAA stadium in Clones, Co Monaghan, and has an official capacity of 29,000.

Plans for the West Belfast site have faced uncertainty because of a major funding shortfall.

The UK Government has pledged €58.4 million to the Casement Park redevelopment, the Irish Government has offered close to €50 million and the GAA at least €17 million.

In a statement last week, Ulster GAA said it “remains fully committed to the delivery of our provincial stadium at Casement Park.

Sinn Féin First Minister Michelle O’Neill reiterated her party’s commitment to Casement, saying she will work with the GAA “to deliver a top-class stadium that meets the needs of Gaels in Antrim and across Ulster”.

Mr Lyons said on Monday he wants to “see the redevelopment of Casement Park on a basis that is sustainable, affordable and value for money that hasn’t been on the table up to this point”.

He told BBC’s Good Morning Ulster Programme: “I said it for two years, I said if we want to build it to that scale, the GAA would need to be