£400m bill to rebuild Casement Park does not align with GAA figures says Jarlath Burns
A Government figure of more than £400 million to rebuild Casement Park to Uefa specifications does "not align" with the total obtained by the GAA, its president Jarlath Burns has said.
Stormont ’s Finance Minister Caoimhe Archibald has also said she will be seeking clarification, stating it is not a figure she had been aware of.
The UK Government confirmed on Friday night that it will not fund the redevelopment of the derelict GAA stadium in West Belfast in time for the Euro 2028 tournament due to "a significant risk that it would not be built in time".
READ MORE: FAI make Northern Ireland pledge after plug is pulled on funding
READ MORE: UK Gov will not provide funding for Casement Park to be built for Euro 2028
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced the decision in a joint letter to Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons.
The ground had been earmarked to host five matches in Euro 2028, which is being jointly staged by the UK and Ireland. The Irish Government and the GAA sporting body had said they would contribute to the redevelopment, but delays and spiralling costs created a funding gap.
Mr Benn and Ms Nandy said the cost of building Casement Park had risen “dramatically” from when the Euro 2028 bid was awarded in October 2023 and now – from £180 million to potentially above £400 million.
Mr Burns was asked about that total during an appearance on the BBC’s Sunday Politics programme.
He said: “Those figures don’t align with the figures that we have had.
“The Ulster GAA have been working very closely with a consultant team of stadia experts for the last 10 years. They were coming in with a completely different set of figures.”
Mr Burns indicated the figure obtained by the GAA was around £100 million less than that suggested by the Government.
He added: “I just feel it was unfair to come out with that figure of £400 million because it certainly didn’t align with any of the figures we have had from our management consultants who are stadia experts.”
But Mr Burns said the announcement from the Government was not a surprise to him.
He said: “To be honest we have known about this for some months. I’ve been pessimistic about it, I made that very clear back in May.
“Once March came, it was really the second week of March that the tender documents were ready. We could not understand why they weren’t issued because there was urgency right from the word go.
“When we were approached last year to see if we would be willing to allow Casement to be used as one of the main stadia for Euro 2028, we were excited, the IFA was very excited by it, there was a wonderful opportunity for all of Northern Ireland to come together on a major project to see if we could do this.
“Unfortunately we have failed and now for the GAA the priority for us is to build Casement, and that is what we are going to put all of our energy into.”
He added: “I think they (the Government) have come to the conclusion that there is very little money left and they have had to make very difficult decisions. It is the way in which it happened which is disappointing.”
Mr Burns said he had received a personal commitment from First Minister Michelle O’Neill that money would be found to rebuild Casement Park.
He said: “All we are asking the British Government now is tell us how much so we can build our stadium.”
Ms Archibald told the programme the new Government has “talked a lot” about resetting and rebuilding relationships.
She added: “I think their actions over the past couple of days haven’t really aligned with those words.
“We had the communication on Friday afternoon around the city deals… and then after months of dither and delay from the previous British Government we had the news slipped out on a Friday evening about Casement Park, as if the calculation was it was a good day for bad news given everybody was already angry over the city deals announcement.
“Hugely disappointing in relation to Casement Park not being built in time for the Euros, such a missed opportunity economically but also for local football. What we need to see now from the British Government is them honouring their commitment to Casement Park and for them to put their money on the table.
“I would also urge them to reflect over the past couple of days and how things have played out and maybe we need a bit of a reset on the reset.”
Asked about the £400 million total, she said: “There have been a lot of figures put out around Casement Park and every time a figure is put out there it is larger than before.
“The £400 million figure isn’t one that I am aware of. I don’t know the basis of the figure. I will be seeking clarification on it.
“Obviously the building of Casement Park for the Euros had a particular specification to it and we need to see now clarification from the British Government about their level of funding commitment towards building Casement Park.”
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