Latest news with #AntrimGAA
Irish Daily Mirror
20 minutes ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Biggest week of all' for Casement Park as funding announcement imminent
GAA president Jarlath Burns has said this is the 'biggest week of all' for the Casement Park project as he awaits news of British Government funding for the project. The home of Antrim GAA has been shut since 2013 amid numerous hold-ups around planning and funding, with the opportunity to host games in Euro 2028 having now passed. The Stormont Executive has pledged £62.5m (€74m) towards the project, while the Irish Government will stump up £43m (€51m) to go along with the GAA's £15m (€18m) - but that is a long way short of the total required to complete the development with costs having spiralled and British Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce what contribution her government is prepared to make towards the shortfall. "This is a big week for it,' said Burns. 'This is the biggest week of all. We keep saying the next few weeks are crucial, but I think tomorrow we're going to hear the spending review. 'As it stands now, I don't know what decision has been made by the British Government as to what they are going to give. And I hope it's generous because it's something that we would really like to see moving on.' There will likely be pressure applied for the GAA to up its contribution but Burns said: "Well, not if the British Government decide that they are going to fund it all. That would be a great situation for us. 'So we don't know what they are going to give. We don't know then what inflationary uplift the Northern Ireland Executive is going to give. That would be between the two government parties. 'But we will then just take it from there. We will then have our own decisions to make, yes. But we are very committed to getting this stadium. 'Clones is wonderful. It's a fantastic stadium, a very quaint stadium. But we all know that for this modern era, we need to have a modern stadium where people can go and they can watch the games in comfort and enjoy it. 'If you look at the Ulster final, for example, you had Armagh, Donegal in the ladies' game, I think it was at 1 o'clock. And our game was maybe at 5 o'clock. "It's a long, long sit for people when you don't have the capacity for food and water runs out and the toileting situation, all of that. So we really just want to modernise and Casement Park is our best opportunity for that.'
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
British government must commit to Casement Park funding - O'Neill
Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said the British government must deliver on its commitment to provide substantial funding to help rebuild Casement Park, the home of Antrim GAA, in west Belfast. British Chancellor Rachel Reeves is due to announce a comprehensive spending review next Wednesday and it's viewed as a pivotal moment for the plan to redevelop the stadium. The project has an estimated cost of £250m (€296.9m) and just under half is already in place, with the Irish government pledging around £43m (€51m), the Stormont Executive £62.5m (€74.2m) and the GAA £15m (€17.8m). The GAA held an event at Westminster today to lobby MPs ahead of the announcement next week. Ms O'Neill and her Sinn Féin colleague, north Belfast MP John Finucane, met the Northern Ireland Secretary of State in Belfast this morning. Speaking afterwards, Ms O'Neill said she had stressed the "political significance" of the project going ahead as well as what she said would be huge economic benefits. "This is something that's long overdue and I look forward to this day next week, whenever we actually see the outworkings of all of that, and will understand in more detail what it all looks like," she said. "Casement Park must be built, that remains my position. It's an Executive flagship commitment, it still stands as an Executive flagship commitment so the British government must find a way to honour its political commitment, put their money on the table and actually back a project that will bring enormous benefits to everybody. "The GAA is something to be celebrated , it's something that really celebrates diversity and something that really is at the heart of our community. This is a good thing, so let's now get on and get it done," she added.
BBC News
08-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Armagh set for majority crowd at Corrigan Park
There will be nearly 3000 Armagh fans at Corrigan Park on Saturday for the Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final with capacity at 4000, sources close to the ticketing arrangements have confirmed to BBC Sport NI that the All-Ireland champions will have a larger allocation than the home side Antrim - outnumbering their hosts supporters by approximately three to tickets will be available on general sale for the match and neither Antrim GAA or Ulster GAA have commented on the breakdown of Sport NI has learned that first preference for tickets went to Armagh's existing season ticket holders - approximately 2000 - with the remaining tickets distributed evenly between both west Belfast venue was eventually confirmed as the host for the quarter-final in March after the Ulster GAA initially stated that the game would be played at Newry's Pairc players had been resolute with their stance of playing at their designated home venue, and said that they would not play the game unless it was at Corrigan GAA agreed to reverse their earlier decision for the game to be played in Newry after being "satisfied with further assurances given by Antrim GAA".It is understood the responsibility for stewarding the match shared between Antrim GAA and Ulster GAA and that there will be a presence from Belfast City Council at the venue on Saturday with sources at Antrim telling BBC Sport NI they are "confident everything is robust".Corrigan Park has undergone some remedial work to help prepare for the glamour tie with Armagh, with new media facilities installed while fans will be housed behind both sets of goalposts to maximise match, which will be the first Championship outing for Kieran McGeeney's Armagh side since winning the All-Ireland final last July, will be broadcast live on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website from 12:10 BST.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Moving Antrim-Armagh to Newry 'very short-sighted'
Former Antrim captain Paddy Cunningham says the Ulster Council's decision to switch the Saffrons' Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final against Armagh to Pairc Esler is "very short-sighted and misguided". After a meeting of the Ulster Competitions Control Committee (CCC) on Thursday, Ulster GAA said they "sympathised with Antrim GAA's situation" but that the county must move the last-eight tie from Corrigan Park to Newry in order to accommodate the anticipated crowd for the visit of the All-Ireland champions. In response, Antrim GAA have said they "still expect" to stage the game at home, reiterating that it is their "right" to play the game in west Belfast. At a CCC meeting in February, Corrigan Park was the only venue put forward for the match by Antrim GAA delegates and Saffrons panellist Paddy McBride previously told BBC Sport NI that if the game was not held there, the county would "probably not play it". "This has really galvanised the players and I would urgently advise them [the Ulster Council] to reconsider," Cunningham told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster. "Antrim were drawn out of the hat first. The Ulster GAA Championship is sacred. Every team wants to play at home. "It's already going to be a mammoth task for Antrim to get a result against the current All-Ireland champions so every advantage is required for Antrim. Obviously playing at home in front of their own supporters is huge." Antrim 'will not concede' home advantage for Armagh tie Cunningham added that "the only positive" to come out of the seeming impasse over the venue for the last-eight tie "is that it probably highlights the need for Casement to get off the ground". "This is probably the last straw for Antrim GAA. We've been forgotten about for the past decade and we've had no home. Corrigan has been very kind to us but it is a stop-gap for the bigger project which is Casement Park." Cunningham perceives widespread support for Antrim's stance from across the GAA. "There has been support from Gaels not only within Antrim, but across Ulster and across Ireland, and even within Armagh. The only people who seem to be against this is the Ulster Council. "I think the GAA as a whole is solely behind the Antrim players and the Antrim county board. They will need to take stock of this and do the right thing. "I feel sorry for Armagh as much as I feel sorry for Antrim given that they are trying to prepare for an Ulster Championship game 35 days away and it's completely up in the air whether this game will take place. It's a very difficult position to put Armagh in too."
BBC News
07-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Moving Antrim-Armagh to Newry 'very short-sighted'
Former Antrim captain Paddy Cunningham says the Ulster Council's decision to switch the Saffrons' Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final against Armagh to Pairc Esler is "very short-sighted and misguided".After a meeting of the Ulster Competitions Control Committee (CCC) on Thursday, Ulster GAA said they "sympathised with Antrim GAA's situation" but that the county must move the last-eight tie from Corrigan Park to Newry in order to accommodate the anticipated crowd for the visit of the All-Ireland response, Antrim GAA have said they "still expect" to stage the game at home, reiterating that it is their "right" to play the game in west a CCC meeting in February, Corrigan Park was the only venue put forward for the match by Antrim GAA delegates and Saffrons panellist Paddy McBride previously told BBC Sport NI that if the game was not held there, the county would "probably not play it"."This has really galvanised the players and I would urgently advise them [the Ulster Council] to reconsider," Cunningham told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster."Antrim were drawn out of the hat first. The Ulster GAA Championship is sacred. Every team wants to play at home. "It's already going to be a mammoth task for Antrim to get a result against the current All-Ireland champions so every advantage is required for Antrim. Obviously playing at home in front of their own supporters is huge." 'Bigger project is Casement Park' Cunningham added that "the only positive" to come out of the seeming impasse over the venue for the last-eight tie "is that it probably highlights the need for Casement to get off the ground"."This is probably the last straw for Antrim GAA. We've been forgotten about for the past decade and we've had no home. Corrigan has been very kind to us but it is a stop-gap for the bigger project which is Casement Park."Cunningham perceives widespread support for Antrim's stance from across the GAA."There has been support from Gaels not only within Antrim, but across Ulster and across Ireland, and even within Armagh. The only people who seem to be against this is the Ulster Council. "I think the GAA as a whole is solely behind the Antrim players and the Antrim county board. They will need to take stock of this and do the right thing."I feel sorry for Armagh as much as I feel sorry for Antrim given that they are trying to prepare for an Ulster Championship game 35 days away and it's completely up in the air whether this game will take place. It's a very difficult position to put Armagh in too."
