Northern Ireland

Casement Park - the story so far

A redeveloped Casement Park is scheduled to host several games in Euro 2028, but the stadium remains to be built
A redeveloped Casement Park is scheduled to host several games in Euro 2028, but the stadium remains to be built

Casement Park in Belfast

Casement Park in Belfast has been confirmed as one of the eight venues to host matches during the 2028 European Football Championships.

But the stadium is currently lying derelict amid years of setbacks and controversy surrounding its redevelopment.

Originally opened in 1953 and situated on the Andersonstown Road in west Belfast, it was named after the 1916 rebel Roger Casement.

It soon became the official home of the Antrim hurling and Gaelic football teams and went on to host eight Ulster Football finals with the last held at the venue in 1971.

Casement Park in west Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann
Casement Park in west Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann

St Tiernach's Park in Clones soon became the go-to stadium for Ulster GAA and has played host to the majority of Ulster football finals since, with the exception of some finals held at Croke Park in Dublin in the early 2000s.

Casement Park redevelopment

In 2006, plans were unveiled to build a new 42,500-seater stadium for soccer, rugby, and Gaelic games at the site of the former Maze prison, with the provisional backing of the GAA.

But three years later, the then DUP sports minister Gregory Campbell scrapped the Maze stadium plan in favour of the three main sports' ruling bodies developing their own stadium proposals.

Read more:

2009 Casement Park stadium plan

By March/April 2009, a 40,000 all-seater plan for Casement Park was put forward by Ulster GAA, but to the dismay of nearby residents who were opposed to the upgrade.

Stormont agreed funding for major upgrades to three Belfast sports grounds - Casement, Ravenhill and Windsor in March 2011 and two years later, then SDLP environment minister Mark H Durkan granted planning approval for 38,000-capacity Casement stadium.

But in December 2014, the High Court quashed the Casement planning approval after a residents' legal challenge.

The following year, a safety expert told a Stormont committee he faced pressure to approve the proposals and accused departmental officials of bullying.

He said the proposed stadium could not be evacuated safely in certain emergencies and warned of the potential for a tragedy like the Hillsborough disaster – a claim dismissed by the GAA.

A report published in August that year described "broken" relationships behind the scenes of the Casement plans, and made a series of recommendations on reviving the project.

Read more: Brian Feeney: Unionist opposition to Casement cash is all about control

Casement Park in Andersonstown is currently lying derelict
Casement Park in Andersonstown is currently lying derelict

Then Sinn Féin infrastructure minister Chris Hazzard instructed officials in January 2017 to 'call in' any new Casement Park planning application so that a decision is made by the department rather than Belfast City Council.

In February 2017, Ulster GAA submitted its revised Casement planning application with a reduced capacity of around 34,000.

It hoped to finish construction in 2019.

The stadium was included in Ireland's failed Rugby World Cup bid, a bid which was rejected partly due to the need for Ireland to redevelop stadiums such as Casement Park.

In May 2018 the High Court ruled a senior civil servant did not have legal power to approve a new £240m waste incinerator without ministerial approval.

Department for Infrastructure officials said that following the ruling they will not make any further decisions on major planning applications in the absence of ministers.

A new business case was submitted in December 2018 by Ulster GAA to Stormont's Department for Communities on the Casement project, with an estimated cost of around £110 million.

Casement Park is now set to be rebuilt as part of Britain and Ireland's bid for hosting Euro 2028. Picture by Mal McCann
Casement Park is now set to be rebuilt as part of Britain and Ireland's bid for hosting Euro 2028. Picture by Mal McCann

The-then SDLP Infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon recommended approval for the redevelopment of the stadium in October 2020.

In July 2021, Casement Park stadium was given formal approval.

But the Mooreland and Owenvaragh Residents Association (MORA) launched a last-minute attempt to block the stadium's development.

In 2022, MORA lost its legal challenge.

Casement Park to host Euro 2028

Casement Park is now set to be rebuilt as part of Britain and Ireland's bid for hosting Euro 2028, but the issue of who will fund the development remains.

How much will the Casement Park redevelopment cost?

The initial budget set for the stadium was around £77 million with Stormont pledging £62 million and the GAA providing £15m.

However, costs have spiralled and the most recent estimate was £168m.

Delays in planning approval, construction inflation and design changes have all been blamed.

The GAA has said its original pledge to commit £15m, which had been made when the predicted cost of the project was £77m, remains unchanged.

This summer, Northern Ireland secretary of state Chris Heaton-Harris suggested the UK government may be prepared to step in to help financially, if the bid by the UK and Ireland to host the Euros was successful.

Irish government funding pledge

In February 2024, the Irish government pledged 50 million euro (£42.7 million) for the redevelopment of the stadium. It was part of a multimillion-euro funding package for Northern Ireland projects announced by the Irish government’s coalition leaders.

Ulster GAA said it is confident the stadium will be built in line with Uefa timelines. However, uncertainty remained over the rest of the funding for the project.

Contractors also began assessing planned ground works at the site with maintenance and pre-enabling works due to continue until April 2024, when the demolition of the existing terraces is set to begin.