Ulster GAA officials want the Northern Ireland Executive members to urgently focus their attention on the stagnated Casement Park redevelopment.
Whilst reaffirming that the new arena would be built, Ulster GAA wants the delayed stadium regeneration discussed urgently after receiving clarification that no UK Government funding – or updates – will be forthcoming for the project until after their forthcoming election.
The UK will go to the polls on 4 July, leaving the provincial council in huge uncertainty until that point at the earliest.
At the launch of the 2024 All Ireland hurling series in Ennis earlier this week, GAA president Jarlath Burns admitted it now looked unlikely that Casement Park would host Euro 2028 championship games.
But in a statement, Ulster GAA bosses have called upon Northern Ireland Executive parties to breathe an urgent supply of oxygen into the project.
“The time is quickly approaching for the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to decide if they want to host the third largest sporting event in the world, in Belfast, in four years’ time,” the statement said.
“The recent comments of Uachtarán CLG, Jarlath Burns, reflects the frustration and dismay regarding the delay in the development of Casement Park relating to both the procurement of a main contractor and the project’s funding package.
“Following our joint letter with the Irish FA, to the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak we have had confirmation that details of government funding will not be made available until after the UK Parliament elections on July 4th.
“To keep this global and transformational opportunity alive, we are now urgently calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to collectively discuss the opportunities that EURO 2028 will create for our society and the reputational, economic and sporting risk of losing this global event.”
And the risks of losing this massive event would be significant to the local economy.
A recent report by Grant Thornton has revealed that hosting the EURO 2028 Championship games at Belfast’s Casement Park will provide a significant boost for the Northern Ireland economy, worth at least £106 million.
Informed by data and analysis from a range of sources including Tourism NI, the NI Hotel Federation and the Irish FA, the report set out expected accommodation spend of £52 million and other local expenditure of £54 million in bars, restaurants and other retail outlets prompted by the five game days in June 2028.
While the economic impact of all 51 games across the UK and Ireland has been calculated at £2.6 billion, which equates to a pro-rata contribution of £255 million for Northern Ireland, the Grant Thornton report takes a more considered and prudent view of hosting games in Belfast.
With Casement Park named as one of the ten preferred UK and Ireland stadia venues, Ulster GAA worked closely with the Irish FA, UEFA, DFC and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) over the last two years to ensure Belfast benefits from the economic and sporting legacy of the joint UK and Ireland bid.
The report was based solely on the economic and tourism impact of hosting the five Euros games in June 2028 and did not reflect the significant contribution of the construction of the stadium or hosting major GAA games and other events that will take place in the years ahead.
Yet, persistent doubts remained over whether Casement Park would be ready in time to host the championship, with the final cost of building the stadium set to exceed £300m, according to some recent estimates.
Ulster GAA is now calling for the procurement tender documents to be released without further delay to ensure the project development remains within UEFA timelines.
“Working in partnership with the Irish FA we remain fully committed to doing everything we can in the coming weeks to ensure that this once in a lifetime opportunity can be delivered for all of society.
“Casement Park will be built, and we will continue to work with all partners who provided commitments within the Regional Stadia Programme and successive Programme for Government to ensure that the strategic stadia needs of the Gaels of Ulster will be delivered.”
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