Opened in 1953, Casement Park was the long-time home of gaelic games in Belfast and, along with Ulster rugby’s Ravenhill ground, and Windsor Park, home of Northern Ireland’s and Linfield’s football teams, was earmarked for redevelopment at the start of the last decade, leaving it unoccupied since 2013.
However, while Ravenhill and Windsor Park have long been redeveloped, Casement remains in a state of disrepair after numerous financial, safety and legal hurdles.
The original plan for a 34,000-capacity stadium was successfully challenged by local residents in 2014. An adjusted proposal with a reduced capacity was put forward, and another objection by residents failed in 2022.
However, the cost of the project and, crucially, who is providing the funding, has meant work on the site has yet to begin.
The price of the project was originally estimated to be at £77.5m. Since then, the cost has skyrocketed and in March it was reported to have risen to more than £300m.
The Northern Ireland Executive has pledged to pay £62.5m towards the project and the Irish government has put forward £43m.
The GAA – the governing body of gaelic games which owns the ground – has said it will not fund any more than the £15m that it pledged to the project prior to the numerous delays.
In June, GAA president Jarlath Burns added he was “pessimistic” that Casement would be constructed in time to host Euro 2028 matches.
A Uefa delegation visited the site in February, but any serious building work has yet to take place as funding has not been finalised.
