Fitzgerald 'proud' as 14-man Antrim exit Leinster
Davy Fitzgerald said he was "extremely proud" of his Antrim players after they suffered a 3-15 to 1-16 loss to Offaly in Sunday's Leinster Hurling relegation shootout in Tullamore. Having lost Niall O'Connor to a straight red card inside the opening 10 minutes, Antrim refused to wilt and retained hopes of snatching a comeback victory when James McNaughton's 65th-minute goal brought them back to within a point. But while Offaly's third goal ensured a win for Johnny Kelly's side, Fitzgerald was buoyed by what he saw from Antrim. "We were definitely the better team in the second half," Fitzgerald told GAA+."Playing against that wind, we ran the ball well, worked the ball well. We probably had two goal chances that we needed to take. "Offaly have improved immensely and you have to give them credit, their fight and work is good."Fitzgerald also said he did not blame referee Michael Kennedy for dismissing O'Connor for what appeared to be a stamp on Offaly's Charlie Mitchell. "Anyone that knows Niall O'Connor knows he's not a dirty player," added the former Clare and Waterford boss. "It might have looked bad, I can tell you he's not a dirty player, and he said to me afterwards, 'honestly, I didn't mean to stamp' and I said, 'fair enough, it looks how it looks'. I don't blame the referee for that exact thing."After three seasons in the Leinster Championship, Antrim will return to the Joe McDonagh Cup - a competition they won in 2020 and 2022 - for the 2026 campaign. But Fitzgerald, who joined Antrim on a two-year term before this season, does not doubt his squad's ability to bounce straight back. "There will be no fear in them boys no matter what the story is," said Fitzgerald, who led Clare to the 2013 All-Ireland title. "We held ourselves in the league, we wanted to hold on, very unlucky that we didn't.He added: "They have the potential to come right back up again, but they know what they need to do, we've had a good chat about that recently."Antrim will bounce back. They showed massive resilience today and that's very important."
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BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Glentoran's time will come with fine tuning
Glentoran owner Ali Pour says the club just needs a bit of "fine tuning" and he will "give it as long as it takes" for the club to achieve took over at the Irish Premiership side six years ago and the club have only won an Irish Cup and County Antrim Shield in that season, Declan Devine guided the club to the County Antrim Shield and a third place finish in the league, when a top-two finish would have secured European they missed out on Europe by losing the play-off semi-final, and were defeated in the BetMcLean Cup final and quarter-finals of the Irish admits it was a "disappointing season" but says the club are "getting there"."We've had a few hiccups along the way, but we are very close. "Had we scored an extra goal and finished second, this would be a very different conversation. Fine margins have resulted in where we are today."The gap isn't huge. I expected better results in the last six years, in terms of silverware. We should have won more trophies, no one can dispute that. "But it's never a huge gap. It's always fine margins. Many of the games we lost or drew last season were so finely poised. We were one goal away from finishing second. "The level is up there, the squad performance, Declan's performance - it's all where it should be. I think we just need a bit of fine tuning."Glentoran haven't won the league since the 2008-09 season, but Pour says he believes the Gibson Cup will return to the Oval sooner rather than later. "Our time will come eventually, whether it's under my control or others. "We are serious contenders. There's no reason why it can't happen - the budget's there, we're still signing top players, Declan is more than qualified and capable of bringing the Gibson Cup here."If I didn't think we were capable, I probably wouldn't invest as much. What would be the point? We are capable of doing it and I'm sure one day we will, Who knows, it could be this season." 'Strong bid' for stadium redevelopment Something that the London-based owner believes could add to Glentoran's all round success and improve things on and off the pitch, is a new League clubs are awaiting news on how much money they will receive from the long-awaited Northern Ireland Football Fund. In Pour's eyes his club have submitted the best application and have requested a large portion of the available £36 million."When you look at the Oval, the stadium is falling apart here and I've seen other stadiums that need money. We have waited long enough. "The government has made a decision that they are going to put an amount of money into football. £36 million is not enough by any means for the whole league, so hopefully there will be more to come."Pour says the club have "ticked all the boxes" with a strong bid, and says it is a "big chunk" of the fund."We put a very, very strong bid in and I am very proud of what we have done. We have asked for a lot, we've asked for a big chunk. "Look, we can build a stadium for £20 million, we can build one for £100 million. It just depends how advanced you want it to be."Our need is clear, we sell out many big games because there is space available, but it's jut not safe. "In terms of impact, our social partnership has done wonders in this area and we understand the need to be sustainable. So, we're very optimistic." 'We're missing a talisman' After finishing third this season, the east Belfast side lost their European play-off semi-final to Cliftonville, something Pour admitted falls well short of the club's standards."European football is very important financially and from an emotional perspective. I was disappointed at the end of the season as our squad was more than capable of progressing through Europe. "We put a very strong team together, so we could have done really well had we qualified for Europe. It was hard to see us not get in there and obviously we could have made a lot of money in Europe in the next few months.""Emotionally, the fans and myself, we deserve to be in Europe. We're a full time club, we're very well financed, we've spent a lot of money over the past few years. It should be a given. "Even statistically speaking, there are four places available. We're a top two/top three team, we should be in Europe every year. Now this is the second year we haven't qualified, it's disappointing." Looking ahead to next season and summer transfers, Pour said manager Declan Devine has identified the positions they need to have already signed Scottish midfielder Liam Burt from Shamrock Rovers and Pour stressed there would be further additions."We may bring in two or three more players to strengthen our squad for next season. We're missing a talisman, we're still lacking a real goalscorer, someone who pulls it all together. So, I think we need one more upfront and one in a more defensive position."The club's women's team have achieved great success in recent seasons, wining three of the last five NIFL Premiership titles, achieving European football and most recently topping their group in the All-Island Cup to progress to the quarter-finals where they will host Dublin side Bohemians."The women's team are the thing that cheers me up," said Pour. "When the men's team isn't doing to well, they give me energy. The manager, Kim [Turner], is doing a great job."They've had a great start to the season and are doing so well in the All-Island Cup. I will support them all the way."
South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
UK Government's £50m pledge for Casement Park an enormous step forward – O'Neill
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. Today marks a significant step forward in the redevelopment of Casement Park, as the British government joins the Executive, the Irish government, and the GAA in committing funding. In every meeting I've had with the British government, I've made the case for funding Casement… — Michelle O'Neill (@moneillsf) June 11, 2025 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.'
Leader Live
3 hours ago
- Leader Live
UK Government's £50m pledge for Casement Park an enormous step forward – O'Neill
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. Today marks a significant step forward in the redevelopment of Casement Park, as the British government joins the Executive, the Irish government, and the GAA in committing funding. In every meeting I've had with the British government, I've made the case for funding Casement… — Michelle O'Neill (@moneillsf) June 11, 2025 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.'
