CAN WE SEE THE BILL?
GAA ‘need to know’ final cost before deciding on a Casement cash injection
BY KARL O’KANE
THE GAA ‘need to see’ the final cost of the Casement Park rebuild before deciding if they will pump additional funds into the venue, according to President Larry Mccarthy.
The Irish government yesterday plegded €50 million to the redevelopment of the Belfast venue, with preparatory groundworks beginning this week.
The cost of the project, first announced over a decade ago, has spiralled out of control due to planning delays, a change of building contractor and rising costs.
The latest projected cost for the 34,500 all seater stadium is €196 million, with the costs more than doubling from the original figure of €90 million.
GAA chiefs have already committed €17.5 million to the project, with pressure likely to come on the Association to increase their financial input.
Tom Ryan – the GAA’S Director General – was quoted last week at the launch of the GAA’S annual report as saying “there’s not a whole lot of scope” for additional funding for the Casement Park project.
The Irish government’s €50 million is part of an €800 ‘Shared Island’ investment priorities package, including the upgrade of the A5 road which goes from Aughnalcoy (Tyrone) to Derry.
But there remains a likely gap in the funding of the project in the region of €45 million to build and complete the project, although the British Government may yet step in here to fill the void.
The British government initially committed €72.5 to the project.
Speaking yesterday at Croke Park, GAA President Larry Mccarthy welcomed the cash boost for the Andersonstown Road venue:
“It’s a significant boost to the project and hopefully now we’ll see it come to fruition,” he said.
“We’ve been very patient waiting for it but it’s great that it’s going to get that boost.
“First of all, we need to know what the ultimate price is. That’s critical in terms of any consideration of what we do.
“But we’ll obviously take that news and consider it at (GAA) management.
“It depends on what news we get between now and Friday night.
“I suspect that it’ll get mentioned this weekend (at GAA Congress) but depending on how much information we get in the interim it won’t get the consideration that it probably needs.
“It’s a massive injection. “We finally seem to be getting progress. The critical thing is how much is it going to cost and how much difference does the €50m make to the balance.
“The Ulster Council and the Antrim County Board have been looking for this for many, many years. It’s going to be a great boost for them.”
Redevelopment work- at Casement must begin by this summer – and be completed by mid-2027 – to meet a deadline set by UEFA.
Casement Park is one of 10 venues in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland which have been earmarked to host matches at the 2028 European Championships.