The redevelopment of Casement Park in west Belfast has been given a boost, after the UK Government allocated £50 million towards the project.
The funding was revealed as part of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves’ spending review, which outlines the Government’s financial plans for the coming years.
Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill has welcomed the funding, and said it is now time to get the GAA stadium built.
However, plans for the 34,000-capacity stadium have been mired in uncertainty because of a major funding gap of around £150 million. It is currently unclear how the rest of the project will be funded.
The Government announcement includes £50 million to support the stadium being developed over four years.
Ms O’Neill said: “Casement Park is an Executive flagship project and is more than just a sporting venue, it will serve as an economic driver for the surrounding communities and region, creating jobs and attracting investment.
“Today’s commitment of substantial funding from the British Government marks an enormous step forward. It is time for all of us to pull together to now get Casement built.”
Stormont ministers committed £62.5 million to Casement in 2011, as part of a strategy to revamp it along with football’s Windsor Park and the rugby ground at Ravenhill.
While the two other Belfast-based projects went ahead, the redevelopment of Casement was delayed for several years because of legal challenges by local residents. The estimated build cost spiralled in the interim.
Last September the UK Government ended hopes that the west Belfast venue would host Euro 2028 games, when it said it would not bridge a funding gap to deliver the redevelopment in time.
As well as the Stormont contribution of £62.5 million, the Irish Government has offered roughly £42 million and the GAA has pledged to contribute at least £15 million.
It has been reported that the cost of the project has fallen to £270 million since it was confirmed the ground would not host Euros matches.
Under current plans and including the £50 million from Wednesday’s announcement, the funding shortfall stands at roughly £100 million.
Ms Reeves’ announcement was welcomed by the Irish Government.
Deputy premier and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris said Dublin had long supported the redevelopment of Casement Park as a “landmark sports infrastructure project”.
In a statement, Mr Harris said: “In February 2024, we made an early commitment from the Shared Island initiative of up to 50 million euro (£42 million) for the redevelopment of Casement.
“We underlined our commitment at that time to support the GAA in progressing this project in partnership with the UK and NI authorities.
“I will now engage with all these partners to deliver a redeveloped stadium.
“The last match hosted in Casement was well over a decade ago and it is past time for the redevelopment of this historic venue to get under way.”
