UK Government £50m Casement Park pledge an 'enormous step forward'

Irish Daily Mirror

a day ago

A UK Government pledge of £50 million for the development of Casement Park is an 'enormous step forward', Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly responded by stating that sport across Northern Ireland is 'crying out for financial support'.
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn confirmed that the £50 million is ringfenced for the rebuild of the west Belfast GAA stadium and cannot be spent on other projects by the Stormont Executive.
The money was included in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' spending review, which outlines the UK Government's spending plans over the coming years.
Ireland's deputy premier Simon Harris said it is 'past time for the redevelopment of this historic venue to get under way'.
Plans for a 34,000-capacity stadium have been mired in uncertainty because of a major funding gap of around £150 million.
The Government announcement includes £50 million over four years to support the currently derelict stadium being developed.
Ms O'Neill said: 'Casement Park is an Executive flagship project and is more than just a sporting venue, it will serve as an economic driver for the surrounding communities and region, creating jobs and attracting investment.
'Today's commitment of substantial funding from the British Government marks an enormous step forward. It is time for all of us to pull together to now get Casement built.'
Stormont ministers committed £62.5 million to Casement in 2011, as part of a strategy to revamp it along with football's Windsor Park and the rugby ground at Ravenhill.
While the two other Belfast-based projects went ahead, the redevelopment of Casement was delayed for several years because of legal challenges by local residents.
The estimated build cost spiralled in the interim.
Last September the UK Government ended hopes that the west Belfast venue would host Euro 2028 games, when it said it would not bridge a funding gap to deliver the redevelopment in time.
As well as the Stormont contribution of £62.5 million, the Irish government has offered roughly £42 million and the GAA has pledged to contribute at least £15 million.
It has been reported that the cost of the project has fallen to £270 million since it was confirmed the ground would not host Euros matches.
Under current plans and including the £50 million from Wednesday's announcement, the funding shortfall stands at roughly £100 million.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said it was now up to the Stormont Executive to do work on updating plans and costings for the Casement project.
He said: 'We will look at those proposals to support them as best we can.'
The DUP's Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has previously said that any additional money for sporting infrastructure in Northern Ireland had to be delivered on a fair and equitable basis.
Ms Little-Pengelly said: 'It'll be over to the GAA in terms of the way forward on that, but from our point of view, it's very much about trying to ensure in an inclusive way that there is fairness right across the needs of all of our sports.'
Asked if the £50 million could be spent on other Executive sporting projects, Mr Benn said: 'It is the bottom line.
'This is £50 million for Casement Park, it is ringfenced for that purpose.'
He added: 'This is an Executive commitment, it dates from 2011.
'Three stadia – Windsor Park, Ravenhill, Casement Park, three great sporting codes.
'Two of them have been done and Casement Park has not been done.
'We all want to see it completed.
'It is worth looking at how much the UK Government has given directly to football, rugby, sport, leisure and other things over the past four-and-a-bit years, it amounts to £47 million, and a very small bit of that, £1.1 million, went to two projects supported by the GAA.
'We're balancing out what has been the contribution to football, rugby, other sports and leisure over the last four years because I think everyone wants to see the Casement Park project completed.'
GAA president Jarlath Burns said it was an 'important and significant' investment from the UK Government.
He added: 'We know, however, that this is not the final piece of jigsaw and there is much more work to do.
'The GAA will engage directly with the NI Executive and the Department for Communities to ensure that all parties actively pursue, and secure, a full funding package that will deliver upon the GAA's strategic stadium need.'
Ms Reeves' announcement was also welcomed by the Irish government.
Deputy premier and foreign affairs minister Simon Harris said Dublin had long supported the redevelopment of Casement Park as a 'landmark sports infrastructure project'.
Mr Harris said: 'In February 2024, we made an early commitment from the Shared Island initiative of up to 50 million euro (£42 million) for the redevelopment of Casement.
'We underlined our commitment at that time to support the GAA in progressing this project in partnership with the UK and NI authorities.
'I will now engage with all these partners to deliver a redeveloped stadium.
'The last match hosted in Casement was well over a decade ago and it is past time for the redevelopment of this historic venue to get under way.'