A general view of Casement Park in 2020. Photo: Sportsfile — © SPORTSFILE
Keith Bailie
The long-awaited refurbishment work on Casement Park will start in 2024 and be completed by 2026, two years before the famous GAA ground is set to host Euro 2028 fixtures, according to the president of the Irish FA, Conrad Kirkwood
In an interview published in today’s Belfast Telegraph, Kirkwood insists the UK government have given assurances to the Irish FA – whose 12,000-capacity Windsor Park is too small to host tournament games – over the timeframe.
Rebuilding the new-look 34,500-seater stadium is estimated to cost £130m (€149m), with most of the funding to come from London.
This effectively means that the GAA has hit the jackpot after years of struggling to get the project off the ground due mainly to objections and rising costs caused by the delay.
The cost is now estimated to be almost double the initial £75m cost that was initially to be split between the Northern Ireland executive and the GAA. The venue was closed in 2013, but the original concept for a 38,000-capacity ground had to be scaled down to 34,500 following local opposition.
News that the UK government is coming in with a major package is sure to be warmly welcomed by the GAA.
If the joint Euro 2028 bid between England, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales is successful, the GAA ground in west Belfast is likely to host four Euro 2028 games, including Northern Ireland’s group fixtures – should Michael O’Neill’s team qualify for the tournament.
Kirkwood said: “Our government partners assure us Casement Park will start in 2024 and finish within two years. It’s important that we’ve a stadium in Northern Ireland that matches those in other countries. Northern Ireland’s inclusion in Euro 2028 is a fundamental part of the bid, as it is a five-nation bid and all five nations must be involved.”
While Northern Ireland supporters’ clubs rejected the idea of Euro 2028 games being staged at Casement, stating “it is our view, and indeed our preference, that football tournaments should be hosted by football stadia”, the IFA president insists securing the rights to host tournament games in Belfast would be a huge boost for the country.
