ULSTER GAA secretary Brian McAvoy says the money spent on the new Casement Park will be: "worth it for Ireland, for Ulster and for Belfast".
Welcoming yesterday’s announcement by Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon to recommend planning approval for the 34,578 capacity stadium, McAvoy said the new venue would be "a major boost to the GAA and wider society".
Before Minister Mallon gave the green light to the application, over 5,000 people engaged in a 32-week community consultation with 95 per cent stating that they were in favour of the new design which was led by global award-winning architects Populous, designers of Tottenham Hotspur, Emirates and Aviva stadiums.
The new Casement Park has been hailed as a state-of-the-art design that includes an iconic bowl structure and a range of mixed-use facilities that are intended to bring cultural, health, civic and economic opportunities to Belfast and beyond.
"It's a welcome development," said Ulster secretary McAvoy.
"It's a long time since February 2017 when we lodged the application, so the planners have definitely been thorough. It's great to get a positive decision, there are a few formalities that we have to go through but this is still a positive development."
Everyone involved in the new stadium will hope to see it opened for games by the 2023 season. However, before that happens an additional £30million needs to found to finance a project that is expected to cost £110million.
"The business case it currently with the department of communities and the department for finance," said McAvoy.
"There are issues that need to be addressed and funding is one of them. The discussions are ongoing but of course it is going to be worth it for Ireland, for Ulster and for Belfast.
"Belfast is the second city on the island of Ireland and we don't have a stadium capable of hosting our major games and we've seen Antrim having to play away from home in the Ulster Championship for the last number of years.
"We need this stadium, not only for Antrim but for the whole of Ulster. We've seen the boost the IFA and Ulster Rugby received when they had their stadia developed and this is the third leg that the Executive agreed.
"It has been a long struggle. We weren't helped by a number of factors - obviously the collapse of the Executive was one - we were three years without a minister and that was difficult. It was a major stumbling block that no-one could have forseen when we lodged the application but we're here now and we'll take it forward from here."
Meanwhile, Tom Daly, Chairperson of the Casement Park Stadium Development Project Board, described yesterday's announcement as "a very significant milestone for Gaels across Ireland".
“Today’s announcement represents a very significant milestone for Gaels across Ireland, Ulster and Antrim who have remained fully committed to the delivery of their provincial stadium at Casement Park," said Daly.
"We want to recognise and thank them for their unstinting support throughout the application process.
“We firmly welcome the Minister’s support and recognition of this decision as a significant step and one which will provide a major economic boost to Belfast.
"The Casement Park project will support the economic recovery, representing a long-term investment in the future of west Belfast, bringing with it many direct and indirect jobs along with increased revenues for local businesses and the regeneration of the area.”
