Jarlath Burns, the new GAA president, has confirmed that he opposes the GAA investing additional funds in the redevelopment of Casement Park. The government of Ireland has assigned €50m (£42.8m) for the stadium in west Belfast, while the GAA announced that its limit of contribution is £15m. The stadium has been earmarked to host football matches at Euro 2028. Burns is of the opinion that the UK government should allocate the remaining funds needed to rebuild the stadium.
The initial cost of the Casement Park redevelopment, a decade ago, was £77.5m. In an interview with BBC News NI earlier this month, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons was presented with the possibility that the stadium cost could now exceed £200m. Lyons said that the number was not definitive but if it were “for commercial reasons, I can’t go into the details of what that might be.”
At Good Morning Ulster, Burns stated that he would vote against any indication that his organisation should provide additional funds. “We (the GAA) are not found wanting when it comes to spending money throughout the country but on this specific issue, for me, it is a point of principle. We have pledged £15m in the programme for government for the last 12 years, there is a very strong commitment that Casement Park, and it should be delivered,” he said.
Although Stormont and the GAA will inevitably be pressured to pay more, attention is now on London to observe whether ministers there are prepared to write a large cheque. Mr Burns said that Ulster GAA secured a commitment for the Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris last May. “All partners” will secure the funding, he added and asked how much the UK would contribute if the Euro 2026 bid is successful. “Once we win the bid, we’ll sit down round a table and the money will get sorted out,” he said.
In the meantime, Mr Burns highlighted his belief that the UK government should commit to the remaining costs of the stadium based on the stipulations, as it should be paid now that Euro games have been secured. He added that it was “unfair to ask the GAA to come up with more money.” Since the GAA is not a profit-making organisation, Mr Burns believes that they should not be penalised for it
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