Casement Park GAA Stadium in Belfast: Department reveals it has given £12m to GAA so far for controversial project

In October it was confirmed that the UK and Ireland will jointly host the Euros with Casement Park listed as one of the stadiums. But the site is currently derelict and GAA plans to redevelop it with a 34,000 seat stadium have been mired in controversy and legal challenges.

The original price tag of almost of £77.5m has now spiralled well above £100m.

Last month Ulster GAA confirmed that its long-standing construction contractor will not proceed with the work, but insisted the stadium would be ready in time. NI football fans have increasingly objected to the huge investment in GAA which they feel will leave no legacy to the sport of football in NI.

TUV deputy leader Court councillor Ron McDowell said: “This £12m figure already dwarfs the £5.5m spent in the redevelopment of Ravenhill and is already 40% of the total figure spent on Windsor Park. Small wonder that fans of other sports believe they have got a raw deal!

“Importantly, this money has been spent before the project has even got off the ground with the removal of Heron Bros as main contractor recently. The Department of Communities is refusing to come clean about key questions in how the project will now proceed.” He said the project was “ill conceived”, is running massively over budget and saw significant opposition from local residents.

Once built it will be “a lucrative cash cow” for the GAA so there should have been a clause for the public to claw back some profits, he added.

Gary McAllister, chairman, Amalgamation of Official NI Supporters Clubs, said: “There remain many questions about the updated cost and delivery most recently evidenced by the need to find a replacement contractor.

"It would be helpful if the Department were to release a proper, detailed update on the project, including details of its most recent 'Gateway Review', the actual costings for the completion of the project and the process to identify a replacement contractor."

An Ulster GAA spokesperson said: "As with any large-scale capital project, there will be significant upfront development expenditure. There has been considerable work done during the development phase of the project that has been banked, and this will play a crucial role in the construction phase of the new Casement Park.”

A Sinn Féin spokesperson said: “The building of Casement Park is a flagship Executive and NDNA commitment. Both the Irish and British governments and the GAA have committed to the funding. And it is now part of the joint Euro 2028 bid between Ireland and Britain.

“It is now time to move forward to build Casement Park to ensure we will have a first-class, state-of-the-art sporting facility for Ulster Gaels, and to host major games in the Euros and big events.”