McGeehan: Casement Park to host 2027 and '28 Ulster finals
Ulster GAA envisage staging provincial football championship games in Casement Park in 2027.
Hailing the yet-to-be-redeveloped Belfast stadium’s involvement in the successful Irish-UK bid to host Euro 2028 as “monumental”, Ulster Council head of operations and the venue’s project sponsor Stephen McGeehan says it’s the provincial council’s objective for several GAA games to be staged there prior to the continental tournament.
“We would hope that Casement Park will be ready for Ulster senior football championship semi-finals and final in 2027. Having waited since 2013 for games to be played in Casement, it’s important that we do play Gaelic games there first.
“We’re talking to UEFA’s central bid team about the 2028 season and how we will try to make sure our major fixtures are played in the early part of the year prior to the championships in June of 2028 and between now and then the 2027 and ’28 Ulster finals both played in Casement Park.
“There has been no Ulster final played in Casement Park since 1971 when Down beat Derry and the Ulster Council of the day stopped playing those major fixtures there because of the safety and security issues that existed there at the time.
“Bringing games to Belfast, as we would call it Ireland’s second city, is critical be they Ulster finals, semi-finals, Antrim’s involvement in the Leinster hurling championship. We genuinely believe we can bring big Central Council fixtures to Belfast and Casement will be used a lot.”
McGeehan reiterated GAA director general Tom Ryan and president-elect Jarlath Burns’ comments earlier in the year that the association doesn’t anticipate it will contribute more than the original commitment of £15 million to the reconstruction, the cost of which is reported to have almost doubled to over £150m since they made that obligation.
“The position articulated by Jarlath and Tom remains the Ulster Council’s position. The £15m contribution is the one agreed by the GAA and the assurances we have been given to this point by the (UK) Secretary of State and more recently by the Irish government are statements made around recognition that more money is required. We’re hopeful that the vast majority of the funding gap can be picked up by government partners.”
The finalised funding contributions will have to be provided by the end of the year, McGeehan explained.
“Our conversations are continuing on three fronts: the heretofore relationship between Ulster GAA and the local governing departments, we have the HM treasury in London who are directly involved in those discussions because of the nature of the Irish and British tournament and we were delighted to hear the Taoiseach comment’s in the Dáil last week (indicating financial support for the stadium).
“From a timing point of view, we will have a full business case to be submitted in December and all the funding contributions made by the various partners will have to be agreed as part of that submission.”
Echoing Ulster Council chief executive Brian McAvoy’s description of Casement Park hosting Euro 2028 games as “a compelling symbol of the power that sport has to unite people from every generation and background”, McGeehan acknowledged the ecumenical aspect of the venture.
“It’s a monumental day for the GAA. We’re delighted that the tournament has been awarded and the GAA are playing their part again in a major international sporting event by making our facilities available.
“Twenty-five years on from The Good Friday Agreement and 30 by the time the games are played, how big a signal this is about the power of sport. That is genuinely important and is for me what this is all about, a successful partnership between ourselves and the Irish Football Association.”
Among other GAA grounds, Casement Park had been one of the venues listed as part of the failed bid by Ireland in November 2017 to host the current Rugby World Cup.
“Our vision has been that while Casement Park is a Gaelic games stadium, it will always play a role in future major international sport because it’s one of the benefits and reasons why government are committed to funding the project,” said McGeehan.
“When (IFA chief executive) Patrick Nelson approached Brian McAvoy over a year ago about the prospect of Casement ensuring Belfast could play a part in this bid, we embraced it with a heart and a half. We thought it was the right thing to do and it was the right thing for Belfast.
“In the time in which the redevelopment has lapsed since, the collapse of Stormont and the fact there are no ministers, the involvement of the UK and Irish governments in directly supporting the bid has been very helpful in moving the project forward and we hope that remains the case.”
