GAA says £15m contribution to Casement Park is near its limit

The GAA has said it is at the limit of what it can contribute towards the redevelopment of Casement Park.

On Tuesday the Irish Government said it was providing €50m (£42.8m).

Brian McAvoy, Ulster GAA chief executive, said the UK government and Stormont Executive should now clarify their position on future funding.

He said the GAA was an amateur organisation without "the comforts of Fifa or Uefa or World Rugby or anything like that".

"There is a limit to what we can do and that's why we've gone to the Irish government - we would have little scope for moving beyond that [£15m contribution] but I think we did well here," he told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster Programme.

"We'll see what comes of the overall terms of the overall funding rounds because obviously the ball is very much in the court of the UK government and the executive, that's really where the ball lies now."

It has been suggested by Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Jim Shannon that the overall cost could be £220m.

Westminster sources have indicated that the cost could now be as much as £300m.

The original price, calculated a decade ago, was £77.5m.

The current allocation of public funding approved by the Executive in 2011 is £62.5m.

The redevelopment has been hit by a series of delays, beginning when planning permission for the project was overturned after objections to the stadium's size from local residents.

Mr McAvoy was speaking after the BBC revealed that the Casement Park redevelopment would not be completed in time for the 2027 Ulster Gaelic football final.

The Gaelic Athletic Association says the stadium should be ready by summer 2027, but it will be too late for the Ulster final that May.

Casement Park is also due to host international soccer games in the Euro 2028 tournament.

A series of warm-up events, including Gaelic games, are planned for the months leading up to the Euros.

There had been hopes among some GAA supporters that the Ulster senior football final would be played at the west Belfast stadium in 2027.

Mr McAvoy, said the "generous" financial commitment from the Irish Government was "hugely significant" and important for a range of initiatives.

He said it was impossible to know the full cost of the project.

"There's been lots of figures - the cost of the stadium cannot be made until a contractor is secured," he said.

"The department for communities are the contracting partners for this - they are working off a government framework and there is a process to this.

"The process is ongoing and there will be a contractor appointed later in the year - not in a matter of weeks."

Mr McAvoy also said the GAA was "confident" it would meet Uefa deadlines to host Euro 2028.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the redevelopment of Casement Park should be seen as a "great opportunity" for all communities.

It is a flagship project for the Stormont Executive, but questions remain over how much funding it will ultimately contribute.

Speaking during a visit to a shared education campus in Limavady, Ms O'Neill criticised cost speculation.

"I hear a lot of talk about figures, what it will cost, what it won't cost and plucking figures out of the air.

"Let's focus on getting the tender let, let's focus on getting the project built and let's focus on making sport something that unifies us all."

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said financial considerations would be made on a "fair and equitable basis".

"We do need to get to the point we understand fully what the costs are in relation to this," she added.

Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Micheál Martin said it would be "a shame" if Belfast was not included in plans for the UK and Republic of Ireland to host Euro 2028.

Mr Martin said the Irish government pledge of €50m was a "significant allocation which creates real momentum".

"I do worry, and I would offer the view, that sport should not become an area of contention," he said during a visit to Ulster University campus in Belfast.

"We need to approach this with a broad mind, and in my view the Euro concept is a very good concept, that collectively we would host the Euros."

On Tuesday at the Northern Ireland Assembly, Newry and Armagh assembly member Justin McNulty invited Communities Minister Gordon Lyons of the DUP to join him at the "newly-built" Casement Park in 2027 for the Ulster final.

Mr Lyons replied saying "there are obviously a number of issues before we get to that stage", namely sourcing funding for the new stadium.

It is estimated that the rebuilding project, if it goes ahead, will take just under three years.

Uefa officials are expected to visit Belfast in the coming weeks to check on progress.

The planned capacity of the new stadium is 34,500.

Preparatory work began at Casement Park on Monday to clear the site in advance of construction beginning later in the year.

However, with no guarantee the money to complete the project will be found, there is still a question mark over the redevelopment.

Casement Park is one of 10 venues in the UK and Ireland chosen to host matches in the Euro 2028 tournament.

A wrinkle in the process that's often forgotten is that contractors were appointed previously for Casement Park but one of them, Buckingham Group Contracting, went bust.

That caused problems for a number of projects, not just for Casement Park.

It delayed the completion of a new stand at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, where another contractor had to be found to finish the job.

If the redevelopment of Casement park is re-tendered, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the local contractors Heron Bros could be involved again.

Heron had previously formed a joint venture with Buckingham for the Casement project.

They may have to find a new specialist partner with previous experience in delivering major stadium projects.

As Liverpool's experience has shown there will be people who are able to carry out this work and there will be a lot of interest in doing so, but there is a formal procurement process that has to be completed first.