premiumdub
County: Dublin
Posts: 19

1260432 IS CASEMENT PARK ONE OF THE STADIUMS WHICH MAY BECOME AVAILABLE FOR THE RUGBY WORLD CUP? IF SO WHY NOT TAKE THE MONEY FORM THE RUGBY, THE BRITHISH GOVERNMENT AND BUILD A STATE OF THE ART STADIUM OF A FRACTION OF THE COST TO THE GAA.
BELFAST IS THE 2ND LARGEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY OK SO HALF THE PEOPLE UP THERE WOULD NEVER GO TO A GAA MATCH, THE THE NEW FACILITIES WOULD HELP TO PROMOTE GAA GAMES.
GO FOR IT.

I would have no issue with them using grant money to build an state of the art stadium. But Location is very important to me, as easy travel access and shorter travel times are appealing. Like i dont mind travelling for over 3 hours to Croke park for All Ireland series games. But the provincial games should not be a 2 hours Journey. I think the ground location should be within almost an Hour of any county.

Belfast might be the 2nd biggest city on the Island, but that doesn't make it an ideal location for a stadium. The nescessary facilities for a provincial GAA stadium can found in almost any large town in Ulster. So when we have the chance, why not pick the ideal location in a central location to which every county will find the distance the same.The politicians want the money going to casement park, as it will allow Belfast to be presented in a greater light.

I'm not a Tyrone man, but geographically it would be logical to provide the most central venue in Ulster. That could be Omagh, Dungannon or Cookstown.
The new Derry to Dublin dual carriageway will pass Omagh, and join the motorway to Belfast at Ballygawley ( Which is ideal when travelling to Co Down.
This means Antrim, Down, Derry, Donegal, Monaghan, Armagh, Cavan and Fermanagh supporters would all be approx an hour from the ground.
With Casement park, some Donegal and Fermanagh fans would have almost 3 hours travel to Belfast.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3057 - 06/09/2012 10:17:19    1260470

GaryMc82
County: Derry
Posts: 220

1260321 I would be in support of the main Ulster ground being located in Tyrone.
Tyrone is naturally the most central county in all of Ulster, and for that reason alone should be considered.

Great suggestions mate! Love the one about soil form the nine counties, that would be a great wee touch. Omagh is the most central and the most accessible for all nine counties. It has a motorway to Belfast running close by and with the imminent upgrade of the A5 to the North-West, this would make it accessible to a lot of areas in the province. Can't see it happening though unfortunately.

LetterkennyMan (Donegal) - Posts: 393 - 06/09/2012 11:03:25    1260507

Why do comments always count Belfast as the only place in Antrim to gauge their two hour limits, do North Antrim supporters not exist. Casement can be reached by other countys quicker due to motorways than it takes to get from Ballycastle, there has been no new road in the glens.

lufty (Antrim) - Posts: 77 - 06/09/2012 15:01:02    1260789

I have mixed emotions about this but think that the bigger political picture is one of the main reasons that Casement is being redeveloped at such cost. Soccer and rugby are getting redeveloped venues in Belfast and I believe that the GAA heirarchy and two main Nationalist parties also want a big urban showcase GAA stadium in the city too. Contrary to some stupid steroetype opinions on here Casement is NOT in the middle of skangerville, it's in a mainly respectable residential area with mostly privately owned houses around it. Some people in Ulster, mostly outside Belfast, are very resentful of the city and have NOTHING good to say about the place despite Belfast providing 1000's of jobs for them as the cars travelling in and out of the city and rural accents show every day so they should lose the chip about the place and show a wee bit more thanks and grace. I do believe that 50/60 million is too much to spend on one stadium that may only hold 2 or 3 important games every year and that maybe Clones and another stadium in Ulster should also have shared the upgrade money but I believe the Executive grant could only be spent in the 6 counties. In the long run I think it's the best thing for the GAA in Ulster but also believe that the Ulster Council, GAA fans and residents, pubs and businesses in West Belfast need to get their heads together to make Casement a great place for the big games and family friendly. I have suggested before that we should put on things like face painting and bouncy castles for kids and music and other entertainment for adults around the ground before the matches.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9840 - 06/09/2012 15:16:17    1260813

Casement park needs massive redevelopment. It is the reason why Galway will not be contesting the all Ireland final. If we played them in Pearse Stadium we would have won easy and would be looking forward to have the Sam and Liam Mc Carthy in our county.

howsurturnips (Galway) - Posts: 80 - 06/09/2012 15:27:59    1260838

lufty
County: Antrim
Posts: 63

1260789
Why do comments always count Belfast as the only place in Antrim to gauge their two hour limits, do North Antrim supporters not exist. Casement can be reached by other countys quicker due to motorways than it takes to get from Ballycastle, there has been no new road in the glens.

I think Donegal fans in North Inishowen and along the West Donegal coast feel your pain, as any journey out of those parts of Donegal have an hour or 45 mins added on to it.
I don't have an issue with Casement park being upgraded or turned into a fantastic ground. But if it is to be the venue for Ulster finals, Semi finals and even the odd quarter final match, then I don't think it's ideally located. Not a jibe at Belfast City by the way, just the travel distance.

Omagh would be great. If the Idea has support, then they would have to consider it.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3057 - 06/09/2012 16:10:23    1260895

howsurturnips
County: Galway
Posts: 77

1260838
Casement park needs massive redevelopment. It is the reason why Galway will not be contesting the all Ireland final. If we played them in Pearse Stadium we would have won easy and would be looking forward to have the Sam and Liam Mc Carthy in our county.

If you play all your games in Pearse Stadium you can win it every year, yeah right.

lufty (Antrim) - Posts: 77 - 06/09/2012 16:20:53    1260910

I never quite understood the logic of moving the football final to Clones to begin with. It is a bottleneck and a nightmare to get to and from. I would suggest it was more to do with tax than sport. As an Antrim man I am personally delighted that Casement will be redeveloped. It is an antiquated facility and certainly needs a facelift. My missus stopped going to games because the bogs are like something out of trainspotting. That could be used as an argument for keeping it the way it is I suppose!!

As pointed out by quite a few people, the money had to be spent in the 6 counties seeing as the majority investment came from the tax payers. I think it would be a nice gesture to pass on our thanks to our unionist brothers in Uladh for kindly paying for a new home for gaelic games. I would say that sits well with them. In terms of logistics, it makes more sense to have it in Belfast. Not only does it sit on the main aerterial routes it is probably the only location which makes economic sense. Lets be honest, concerts is probably the main reason for 40000 seats. The capacity is more to do with U2 than you and me. It isn't going to be great for national league games going by the crowds we have been getting but hopefully if gives the game the shot in the arm. Whatever your opinion, we are still being gifted a state of the art county and provincial stadium so we should be ecstatic. Regardless of location I wish it every success and have no doubt all the sceptics willbe back onboard when they see and attend the final product. How can be anything other than good for the GAA?

GlensMan89 (Antrim) - Posts: 54 - 09/09/2012 09:54:05    1262316

https://twitter.com/CasementPark

First image of the proposed casement park released last night on twitter. Artist's impression and all but looks tidy.

Tyronetim (Tyrone) - Posts: 1254 - 06/02/2013 13:10:01    1329491

The new Casement Park can and will be possibly the best sports ground 'anywhere'

1. Belfast is the second city in Ireland and therefore require attention
2. It has excellent 'road', motorway access, unlike Clones where the guards go missing the minute of the final whistle
3. it will revitalise gaa in the whole area

cuchulainn35 (Armagh) - Posts: 1691 - 06/02/2013 14:29:44    1329554

The plans for the new Casement look brilliant and Ireland's second city needs a major, modern GAA ground. The stadium will be second to none and it will cater for players, fans, media etc with vastly improved 21st century facilities. I think some of the comments have been a disgrace especially from so called fellow Ulster Gaels whose shameful rantings about Belfast, especially West Belfast, would put a smile on the faces of the worst Unionist bigots. Some of these people are a disgrace to the GAA and their shocking rantings don't belong in the Association. The area around Casement has improved drastically and many of the pubs and restaurants are looking forward to the improved trade on match days; they know they too have to reach out to fans from other counties and make match days an experience for everyone. For those who say that Belfast and Casement can't stage these games I would refer them to the game for The Michaela Harte Foundation; there were 1000's of people from all over Ulster and beyond who came and enjoyed a great night out and the bars and restaurants around the ground were teeming with accents from everywhere. There was NO hassle just a splendid welcoming atmosphere and we should also remember that this is NOT just for Belfast and Antrim; the new Casement will be for ALL the Gaels of Ulster to enjoy.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9840 - 06/02/2013 15:33:18    1329588

Never been but lok forward to visiting the NEW.

Long over-due

KELF (Kildare) - Posts: 775 - 06/02/2013 16:47:45    1329631

Best of luck to Antrim and Ulster GAA in this new Venture. I saw the new stadium images there yesterday and it looks top class. I have also never been but hopefully Mayo may get a trip there when complete (maybe as All Ireland champs ;) )

yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 12122 - 06/02/2013 17:26:33    1329642

Agree - hate those comments even in jest and made the point much earlier in this thread. West Belfast is steeped in GAA and a place that feels very comfortable for me to be as a Tyrone GAA follower. It would be hard to see more GAA clubs anywhere in ireland in such concentration as up the West.
I think it will be an excellent venue enjoy it currently never mind when it has 3 stands.
Still uncertain what games it will get as the presumption that the Ulster Final will be moved from Clones seems at odds with most public utterances on the subject by the Ulster Council.

Tyronetim (Tyrone) - Posts: 1254 - 06/02/2013 17:30:16    1329643

What a fantastic state of the art GAA stadium this is going to be. One for Antrim gaels to be proud of- long overdue. I will be delighted to see such a major event as the Ulster senior football final return to Ireland's second city!

MourneArmy (Down) - Posts: 1787 - 06/02/2013 17:53:48    1329663

looks nice ground alright but it says all seater stadium wouldnt like the gaa going down that road to be honest the terraces are the only place i like to go

hill16no1man (Dublin) - Posts: 12665 - 06/02/2013 18:00:29    1329670

Yeah Hill at this point this is the first phase of discussion/consultancy so maybe some terracing will be introduced though the language has always been around all-seater

Tyronetim (Tyrone) - Posts: 1254 - 06/02/2013 18:44:52    1329693

Personally i think the location is a poor choice. The reason primarily being that the stadium will not have a well supported team as its earner in chief. No dis-respect to Antrim GAA but its highly unlikely that in either code would a sustainable regular attendance be found. I think the stadium would look excellent on Ulster Final day but much more than a white elephant at other times throughout the year. I'd fear it would become another Gaelic Grounds in Limerick with a much higher maintenance and running cost.

My choice would be Omagh. A large central Ulster town with good access to most of the strong counties in Ulster.It also has the added benefit of the Tyrone footballers who would provide sustenance throughout the League Rounds. The key for any large GAA stadium is an attendance to use it. They should not be built for political purposes or just for the sake of having a stadium.

seany16 (Dublin) - Posts: 1663 - 06/02/2013 18:47:36    1329694

i must say one thing lads, ye do have some lovely footy grounds up north, kerry are the most successful intercounty gaelic football team in the in the world and we have the worst stadium.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 06/02/2013 18:49:13    1329696

beaver
County: Limerick
Posts: 100

1259028
Why choose Casement? If it's an Ulster Stadium then place it in mid-ulster and not in Belfast which is hardly fair on west ulster counties like ourselves and parts of Tyrone and Derry.

If thats the case shouldnt croke park be in ATHLONE?



For what it's worth Croke Park should be in Athlone anyway.

square_ball_69 (Westmeath) - Posts: 826 - 06/02/2013 20:49:23    1329777