The UK government will not fund the redevelopment of Belfast’s Casement Park in time for the Euro 2028 football tournament due to “a significant risk that it would not be built in time”.
Five matches were due to be played at the derelict west Belfast GAA ground during the event, which is being jointly hosted by the UK and Ireland.
The Irish government and the GAA sporting body, which promotes Gaelic sports, had said they would contribute to the redevelopment, but delays and spiralling costs have led to a funding shortage.
Workmen at Casement Park in January 2024. Pic: PA
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn and Culture Secretary Lisa 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 £180m to £400m.
In a joint letter to Northern Ireland’s Communities Minister Gordon Lyons on Friday evening, they said “there is a significant risk that it would not be built in time for the tournament” and, “regrettably… it is not appropriate for the UK government to provide funding to seek to build Casement Park in time to host matches at Euro 2028”.
The ministers called it “a very difficult decision” but “the only way forward”.
Estimated redevelopment costs have spiralled, ministers said. File pic: PA
First Minister Michelle O’Neill said the decision was “deeply disappointing” and represented a “missed opportunity for sport and our economy”.
“Casement Park will be built. It’s an Executive commitment, and something that both the British and Irish governments have committed to,” she said.
Work would need to be finished by summer 2027 as UEFA demands that all tournament venues must be ready a year before the action starts for “essential test events”.
Some demolition work had begun at the ground, the principal Gaelic games stadium in Belfast and one of the biggest sports stadiums in Northern Ireland, before it closed in 2013.
Mr Lyons said he would engage with the government to see how Northern Ireland “can still benefit from hosting the competition”.
A spokesperson for Ulster GAA said it was “bitterly disappointing”.
Shadow Northern Ireland minister Paul Holmes said: “Whether it’s cutting investment into local areas or cutting the Winter Fuel Payments for millions of vulnerable pensioners, this Labour government are making clear political choices and its people across the United Kingdom paying the price.”
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Euro 2028 organisers said in a statement: “We will continue to work together with partners and UEFA regarding Northern Ireland’s involvement in the tournament moving forward.
“We remain fully committed to ensuring UEFA EURO 2028 is an outstanding sporting celebration that is inclusive to all and delivers great benefits for communities across the nations.”
