Nearby Casement Park is to be reconstructed so it can stage football matches in the Euro 2028 tournament. Uncertainty hangs over the project as the UK government is set to announce its final financial commitment to the project. The cost of building the new stadium has been estimated to total over £260 million. Its future is up in the air until we figure out the funding, down to the dollar.
With a proposed capacity of 34,500, Casement Park is very much a key venue to be used in the tournament. The entire project has been at a standstill because of financial uncertainty. Stephen McGeehan, the project lead for the stadium redevelopment, indicated that costs would exceed £15 million, stating, “We are prepared to step up. It would be premature to start mentioning figures here. I think it will be higher than £15m.”
Currently, £120 million in funding has been secured from the Stormont Executive, the Irish government, and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Northern Ireland’s Finance Minister John O’Dowd remains hopeful about the ongoing joint discussions between Northern Ireland and the Treasury. He stressed that they are “in solution-finding mode” as they seek to find agreement to allow additional funding for Casement Park.
One senior official inside the GAA even sounded a note of cautious optimism that we might hear news about new funding soon. If the government doesn’t compensate enough for the proposed redevelopment, the GAA will need to go back to the drawing board for their plans. They need to make sure that the stadium actually achieves financial feasibility.
The Chancellor Rachel Reeves will unroll the first ever National Spending Review. This review will be critical in determining how much money goes to maintaining and operating public services and our existing infrastructure versus funding new capital projects in future years. The independent Fiscal Council has estimated that this review could be worth more than £800 million over five years.
Funding delays have already put plans for Casement Park on shaky ground. Consequently, the option of using football matches as part of Euro 2028 has now been put on ice. Stakeholders have been left increasingly worried about the content’s relevancy to the project’s overall viability. An aerial view of Casement Park, now an empty stadium surrounded on all sides by new housing developments.