Casement Park: GAA 'not budgeted for more than £15m' towards west Belfast stadium

The GAA has told UTV that it "has not budgeted for any more than £15m originally allocated for the redevelopment" of Casement Park in west Belfast.

The stadium has been earmarked for matches during the UK and Ireland's joint Euro 2028 bid.

A financial investment of €50m towards the work was announced by the Irish Government, however no figure has been released by the UK Government.

The newly appointed President of the GAA, Jarlath Burns, told UTV he found the lack of clarity over the UK Government's funding towards work at the site "surprising".

In order for the Casement Park to be used during the Euros in 2028, UEFA has requested that all work be completed by mid-2027.

The Department for Communities which holds responsibility for the redevelopment has not yet appointed a contractor to carry out the work.

Plans to redevelop the site were first mooted back in 2011 as part of a wider scheme to improve sporting facilities across Northern Ireland for rugby, soccer and GAA.

At that time, it was estimated that work at Casement Park would cost around £77m - more than a decade on and there is speculation that figure may have more than doubled.

Stormont initially agreed to pay around £65m towards the project, with the GAA committing to £15m.

On Monday, the GAA reaffirmed its commitment to that original figure.

"The GAA remains committed to the Casement Park project and looks forward to an update from the British Government about their intentions to contribute to the funding of the project," the sporting body told UTV.

"At this time the GAA has not budgeted for any more than the £15m originally allocated for the redevelopment.

"The Association awaits final costings which will facilitate a full review of the funding model."

Speaking on Saturday after his appointment as GAA President, Jarlath Burns told UTV he "welcomed so much the money from the Irish Government" towards the stadium.

"We are on the threshold of an incredible experience if everything falls into place and the Euros can take place, but it's a race against time at this stage," he added.

In terms of funding from the British Government, Mr Burns said: "They have promised us they are going to give us this money and there are so many positive elements to this that it would be really, really poor of them if they didn't deliver on that promise."

Northern Ireland minister Steve Baker, responding to questions about Casement Park, told a House of Commons debate on Monday evening: “We need to see a proper business case with a full statement of the costs which are involved.

“Clearly there have been inflation in the costs; we now need to see what the full bill would be.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.