The Casement Park development is vital to the future well-being of the GAA in Belfast, according to GAA Presidential hopeful Martin Skelly.

The Longford native is one of five candidates in the running to take over from Aogán Ó Fearghail and, speaking to the Irish News ahead of next month's annual GAA Congress vote, he said: "It's so important that we have a state-of-the-art facility in the second largest city in the country.

"I would dearly love to see it completed and I know that a serious amount of work has already gone into it. There have been a few obstacles in the way, but I would hope that, in the very short-term future, Casement Park will be a live project.

"I think it will be fantastic, not only for us at national level, but for Ulster GAA to have an iconic home in the heart of Belfast. It's so important that we have a stadium and facilities that stand out and say something about the GAA. Croke Park is an iconic stadium in Dublin, Cork has Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Galway has Pearse Stadium and Belfast needs Casement Park.

"It would send out a strong, vibrant message that Gaelic games are alive and well in the city and give young people somewhere they can aspire to playing in, where they can go and be entertained in. Casement Park would be an integral part of that and I hope the project will come to fruition in the short-term future."

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