Ulster GAA have issued an update on the redevelopment of Casement Park and says demolition work to clear the site will continue in 2025.

Back in September, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn and Secretary of State for Culture and Sport Lisa Nandy confimed that the UK Government would not provide funding for the project, saying there was a risk that Casement would not be delivered in time for the Euros with a significant gap in funding still remaining.

However, GAA figure dispute the figure of £400m quoted in the letter to NI Minister for Communities Gordon Lyons.

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With the prospect of hosting five games at Euro 2028 over, the GAA has refocused its attention to a more modest rebuild of Casement with the old stand set to be demolished in the coming months.

Writing in his annual report, Ulster GAA secretary Brian McAvoy said: “It has been a very busy year for the team involved in the Casement Park project.

“Several significant milestones were achieved including Ulster GAA directlysecuring €50m from the Government of Ireland Shared Island Fund which brought our own partnership funding contribution for the project up to circa £58m sterling.

“Ulster GAA also commenced site clearance works to ensure that the future procurement processes to be taken forward by Government could follow soon after, including crucial site clearance and demolition works.

“A parallel investment in new temporary premises for the Casement Social Club was also progressed and is now complete. This can facilitate the demolition of the old stand in the New Year, after the members make the transition to the new facility at St Agnes’ Hall.”

While hailing the work done by the Ulster GAA in partnership with the Irish Football Association, McAvoy claims that Minister for the Department for Communities, Gordon Lyons, lacked enthusiasm for Casement hosting games at Euro 2028.

“Our team continued to work closely with the DfC Stadium Team following the restoration of devolution, though it soon became clear that the Minister (Gordon Lyons) was not particularly enthused at the prospect of Euro 28 games being played at the West Belfast venue,” added McAvoy.

“Momentum for meeting the challenging deadlines of UEFA began to slip and the decision not to commence the procurement process for a new contractor, coupled with the absence of action from the UK Government, despite written assurances made by the former Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris, MP, in March 2023, would ultimately prove costly.

“As others have stated elsewhere, it seems that in the North of Ireland, we never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity!”

Despite the setback of not hosting Euro 2028 fixtures, Ulster GAA have reiterated their pledge to rebuild Casement Park.

“We have made clear our intention to build what has been promised to us in successive Programmes for Government, and for what we eventually secured planning approval for in July 2021," added the Down native.

“That is a 34,500-capacity stadium, a more modest stadium that would have been necessary to enable the hosting of Euro 2028 games.

"While some £120m has been secured for delivery of the stadium, a significant funding gap remains. Current estimates are that the final figure will be well below the wildly exaggerated costs of £400m plus, which were reported a few months back.

“Central GAA, Ulster GAA and Antrim GAA are absolutely aligned on the need to finish what was started at Casement Park. Promises made must now be delivered upon.”

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