Letter: Failure to build Maze Stadium was a mistake and will still hurt unionism for years to come
A letter from Edward Ferrin:
When an opinion poll was taken a few years back in 2023 by Lucid Talk finding that only 12% of unionist respondents supported hosting UEFA Euro 2028 games at Casement Park, it was clear that unionism was not prepared for such an eventuality.
In 2005, some 80% of Northern Ireland supporters polled at an international match with Wales were opposed to the proposal for a stadium at the Maze also.
That opposition, and the eventual decision to scrap the Maze Stadium proposal was unwise. Unionists particularly more than Irish nationalists are the poorer for that decision also.
Instead, we chose to build a smaller rugby stadium at Ravenhill, unable to hold major international games. We built a smaller capacity Windsor Park stadium, unable to host a major UEFA final or host a UEFA Euro/FIFA World Cup tournament match.
We are yet to build a Casement Park stadium, which is a story in itself!
Some will argue that the Maze Stadium idea was too controversial to progress. Let’s face it – unionism was legitimately opposed to plans for a conflict resolution centre on the old prison hospital site and that risked collapsing devolution and power-sharing. In this case, the protection of the political institutions was more important in 2009 than building a multi-sport regional stadium.
Unionists should ask however, was it worth it? Was it worth scrapping the Maze Stadium idea, now that Northern Ireland will be the only part of the UK not hosting a single football game at UEFA Euro 2028? A short, one-hour qualifying draw in the ICC Belfast this December is nothing to be proud of.
We need a stadium big enough to host international sporting events and music concerts beyond 2028 – that requires a stadium of at least 35,000 all-seated capacity.
Ravenhill, Windsor Park and Casement Park and their sports teams will never regularly attract 35,000 supporters week in and week out.
The only way we could do it is if we built a shared sports stadium which could attract big attendances at major rugby, football, GAA and other international sports games and music concerts throughout the year.
The Maze Stadium was the only option to do this – there was no better opportunity to do it than on government-owned land outside Lisburn as Belfast had little space or appetite for such a concept.
Some will say the opportunity was missed and it was. However, the Maze site remains empty and remains the only site that is sitting ready and waiting for the cranes and scaffolding to be put up. Plus, we now live in 2026, not 2009. Maybe one day, Northern Ireland will finally build a stadium befitting its ambition to be a global force in sport, music and big infrastructure.
In the quest to ensure Northern Ireland prospers as a nation of the UK, unionism should resolve to build a national stadium that shows the world what Northern Ireland within the Union can achieve.
England has Wembley and Twickenham, Scotland has Murrayfield and Hampden Park, Wales has the Millennium Stadium. Northern Ireland, meanwhile, remains the poor relation of the UK when it comes to a national stadium.
Edward Ferrin, Belfast BT14