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The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
UK Government's £50m pledge for Casement Park an enormous step forward – O'Neill
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.'
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Stricter rules on funding for Hong Kong sports events planned, as Messi fallout continues
Sports events in Hong Kong that want government support are facing a tightening of the rules around funding, sources have told the Post, as the fallout from the Lionel Messi saga continues. Criteria surrounding global relevance, minimum ticket sales and impact have all been under the spotlight as part of a review started by former sports minister Kelvin Yeung Yun-hung, and changes could be implemented before the end of the year. With the Major Sports Events Committee dolling out HK$624.4 million of public money over the past three financial years, officials were also considering introducing a sliding scale of support, rather than paying out as much as HK$17 million at a time to organisers. 'There will be different conditions, say the number of minimum spectators, 80 per cent of the seats must be filled for exhibition matches,' a government source said. 'There must be elements of mega-events, too, and that applies to all applications. 'Grants of different amounts could also be dished out but that's subject to further considerations, we're still exploring the various [possible] tiers.' Runners head down the Island Eastern Corridor in North Point during the 10km race during the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon. Photo: Eugene Lee The committee currently has a matching fund of up to HK$15 million for major sports events, with additional grants of HK$1 million for venues and marketing also available.
Sky News
29-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Sky News
Could an OnlyFans account capsize this canoeist's Olympic dream?
A British canoeist could see his hopes of competing at the Olympics crushed after he said he was banned from competing due to posting content on OnlyFans. In an interview with Sky News presenter Matt Barbet on the UK Tonight, Kurts Adams Rozentals said he started posting revealing content of himself on OnlyFans - a subscription-based service that is known for hosting adult content - to raise money for his canoeing career. He competes in canoe slalom and is part of Paddle UK's world-class programme for Olympic hopefuls, but was suspended by the governing body in April. In a statement, Paddle UK said Mr Rozentals was under interim action pending the outcome of an investigation, highlighting that this was "a neutral act (...) designed to protect all parties and is not a disciplinary action". Paddle UK did not disclose the nature of the allegation, but its disciplinary policy lists offensive use of social media and indecent, offensive or immoral behaviour as examples of gross misconduct. Mr Rozentals said he received £16,000 in funding from Paddle UK for his training, but this "is not anywhere near enough to be able to pursue elite sport". After trying freelance jobs and working at a warehouse to make up the shortfall, the canoeist started uploading content on OnlyFans in January as a means of earning money "that wouldn't affect the training, because the ambition is to get to the Olympics and you need to fund that in some way". Mr Rozentals, who has been in the sport for more than 10 years and has already won medals on a world stage, said he was "raised with a whatever-it-takes mentality, and I think that's how we've got to where we are now". He said: "At the end of the day, I started this to help with the sport, and it certainly is helping when I'm on the start line, and I'm not having to worry about rent and food on the table. It's a good feeling." But the athlete and content creator said his mother was "crying for a week" after finding out he started an OnlyFans account. "She worked so hard, sacrificed her life to get us into sport and to prove that people from underprivileged backgrounds can reach something and achieve something good in life," Mr Rozentals said. "And then when I did that... She did eventually come around and understand why I did what I did." Mr Rozentals said he made more than six figures on OnlyFans, but warned that "there is a price to pay" when sharing adult content, as it would stay on the internet forever. "I don't want to just be an influencer. My dream was always to do something bigger," he added, saying his focus was still on his canoeing ambitions rather than on being a social media star. Paddle UK said the interim action against the athlete "was taken to ensure the integrity of the investigation and to safeguard other athletes, staff, and volunteers due to the nature of the allegations." Their statement added: "Paddle UK is committed to ensuring a safe and open environment for all, and interim action under the Athlete Disciplinary Policy is only taken where necessary and proportionate."
