Trains are non existent west Of the Bann so telling people to hop on trains is a non starter - and even if you're fortunate enough to have a train service, times on a Sunday or Saturday evening may exclude this option.

As for parking elsewhere nearer boucher or lisburn road, you're still faced with thousands of vehicles descending off the M1 at Stockman roundabout. It's crazy. A 40K sell out at Casement as things stand means traffic gridlock for hours. A disaster waiting to happen.

artisan (Down) - Posts: 1794 - 17/12/2014 18:26:41    1679184

Coming from the West if you are worried about the boucher junction then come off at Lisburn. Take the road that leads onto the upper malone road. You could park your car anywhere between the Lisburn road and Malone road and walk. You have the option of either going up finaghy road North or Boucher. Take your pick either way its not long

boondock (Antrim) - Posts: 9 - 17/12/2014 19:12:58    1679196

sorry balmoral avenue not boucher doh

boondock (Antrim) - Posts: 9 - 17/12/2014 19:22:02    1679200

God help the day any of you Gaels decide to go to Croke Park for a game - it will blow your minds if you think Belfast is bad. In fact youse would be wiser never venturing down and saving yourselves a lot of stress.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 17/12/2014 21:47:57    1679231

Ulster GAA really needs a large top quality Stadium, a large Stadium with a 35,000 to 40,000 capacity to host the biggest GAA ties in Ulster.

Main Issue with Clones, Is definitely the travel time from most parts. It has little shelter if the heavens open, and is hardly the European benchmark for concessions and toilet facilities. Toilet/Concession Improvements could easily be addressed, while roofing may not be practical to the current layout.
Location is location, and it is what it is and we can't move the ground to a more central ground.

If I was looking at building a new Stadium in Ulster, the main Issues from past experiences In Clones would be taken into account ( See below ).
1. Distance - The ground must be accessible to all Ulster fans, and the location should take this into account.
2. Car parking - Most fans drive to games in morning, and return home after the game. Proper car park near the Stadium would be a nice touch.
3. Roof - Decent shelter helps, and certain stands in Omagh and Armagh already provide good cover. Stadium should be at least covered on both sides.
4. Toilets - Easily accessible toilets from all stands, with enough units to reduce excessive queues of people at HT.
5. Concessions - Have Tea/Coffee and possibly sandwich bars at all corners of the ground.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 18/12/2014 14:08:58    1679311

WOW Gary! we're really going to a new age with your ideas aren't we, give Donald Trump a bell I bet he'd love to oversee this one LOL

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2487 - 18/12/2014 15:40:24    1679335

Lads Clones has had it's best days. It's a small town in the back arse of nowhere on the edge of Ulster. I think moving it to it's biggest city is a bright idea. Obviously from Derry or Donegal to Belfast it will take ages but it took ages to Clones anyway. For the fans coming from Dublin, it's actually a quicker drive to Belfast from Dublin than it is to Clones. That's just how bad the roads are to the town.

Most ulster finals have a full capacity of 32k. At least with this new stadium we will have 38k (40k when you include premium) sitting all in seats in a top class stadium with croke park standard facilities and a proper roof covering the stands on 3 sides. That will only drive attendances for finals up further.

People complaining about Belfast parking etc and traffic jams. Clones is one of the worst in the country after a match to get home from. And you should be parking 20mins plus away from casement to begin with.

When you look at Ulster, only Antrim and Fermanagh come accross as "weaker" GAA counties in the football anyway. Building this stadium and getting the finals every year plus possibly 1 big semi will do promotion of the GAA in the city and county wonders. It will help no end, if the GAA decide to make a bush in the city/county like they did with Dublin hurling. This can only be a good thing because in a city that big you need a stronger foothold for the GAA. It will also be a great money spinner for the association with higher attendaces and the ability to host concerts every summer. Plus the Rugby WC bid and possibly Ulster renting it out for big Heineken Cup matches. Money which will go to the poromotion of GAA in Ulster and Antrim.

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 18/12/2014 19:28:51    1679381

DO people have the details on the judgement? The GAA will submit a new application. They said capacity and size wasn't an issue. What exactly is the problem and what will have to be changed for the new one?

Jack_Goff (Meath) - Posts: 2920 - 18/12/2014 19:29:54    1679382

The Casement vanity project is dead in the water as far a planning goes, as it fails on all the key issues of road network, safety concerns, environmental impact. Basically, the application knocked down the first three hurdles and didn't even reach the one that said capacity/size. It's high time the Ulster Council and Politicians realised that and began the process of looking for a new site in South Tyrone which is central to all counties and rests in the heartland of Ulster GAA. Yes, don't let the £5 million spent go to waste and apply to build a stadium for 25,000 people which should meet the criteria that the project failed on. Antrim and Belfast GAA need a stadium, but one that meets the criteria.

drumlinbelt (Monaghan) - Posts: 179 - 18/12/2014 21:28:21    1679423

SaffronDon
County: Antrim
Posts: 81

1679335 WOW Gary! we're really going to a new age with your ideas aren't we, give Donald Trump a bell I bet he'd love to oversee this one LOL

Casement simply isn't a popular project across Ulster, with this forum showing little or no support outside of the understandable parochial support of Antrim posters.

If it simply amazing design your looking for, then surely the Casement design was a dissapointment. I listed practical needs of what a Ulster Stadium would need to Improve upon our current home of Clones. Not fancy design or shopping facilities, purely the needs of a GAA fans travelling up for a game and returning home afterwards.

But I suppose Belfast could cater for the masses flying into Belfast International for the Donegal v Tyrone game.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 18/12/2014 21:53:30    1679429

The planning process was legally flawed end off, that is mainly why it is not going ahead. But the residents arguments are rather spurious ones, concerns about the demolition of building and possibilty of presence of asbestos hmm and of course its safe disposal as if its dumped in the nearest river. The capacity from 32,00 to 37,000 the massive drain on emergency services coping with the extra 5,000!!! the visual impact (as if the present eyesore is a botanic garden) all of these concerns should be addressed if a proper legal planning process is adhered too. The arguments against a 37,000 seater stadium in a city the size of Belfast is nonsense. Then again look at the way GAA HQ treats the locals. Just because the locals are entitled to object doesn't mean they are right of course.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4937 - 18/12/2014 21:57:58    1679433

Jack_Goff
County: Meath
Posts: 1372

1679381 Lads Clones has had it's best days. It's a small town in the back arse of nowhere on the edge of Ulster. I think moving it to it's biggest city is a bright idea. Obviously from Derry or Donegal to Belfast it will take ages but it took ages to Clones anyway. For the fans coming from Dublin, it's actually a quicker drive to Belfast from Dublin than it is to Clones. That's just how bad the roads are to the town.


This Provincial Stadium will be home to the 9 Counties of Ulster, so when building a new Stadium, why not look at its main purpose. Why not consider the fans travelling from Fermanagh, Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, West Tyrone, Derry City who will still have to travel excessive Journey times to Ulster games.

GaryMc82 (Derry) - Posts: 3017 - 18/12/2014 21:59:47    1679434

The capacity of Ravenhill or Kingspan park is 18000. Why on earth do the GAA want to go way above this. A stadium of around 22-25000 would be enough in my opinion, in Casement park.

galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 2565 - 19/12/2014 10:33:08    1679458

Its a valid point about the size of the stadium but put it like this are the GAA going to spend 77 million on a stadium in Ulster only for it not to be big enough to hold the Ulster final???

boondock (Antrim) - Posts: 9 - 19/12/2014 11:19:38    1679470

Casement simply isn't a popular project across Ulster, with this forum showing little or no support outside of the understandable parochial support of Antrim posters.

Load of aul balls. I would say most Antrim Gaels would prefer a state of the art 20,000 stadium for our County and couldn't give two fiddlers if its the main stadium in Ulster used for Ulster Finals. However, if Ulster GAA are looking to build a new stadium which would be fit for purpose in the modern era (a one stop shop like Croke Park) then I am sorry, the only place that makes sense for many reasons already outlined by myself and others (and some of those being Non Antrim posters surprise surprise) is Belfast. Not some field out in the arse end of nowhere just because geographically it is in the Centre of Ulster. If people are that naive that they think its just a matter of building a stadium in a green field and problems are sorted then I don't know - the additional costs required for upgrading infrastructure alone would make it not viable. And if you don't spend money on roads etc then you are going to end up with another Clones.

In fact, forget Belfast. Why not build a floating stadium which could be put in Lough Neagh. Depending on what two counties are playing then it could be moved to a point equidistant to both. And when its not being used pull it away out in to the middle of the Lough so its not blocking anyones view of anything important. Likewise for Concerts it could be taken out to the middle of the Lough cutting down on the noise pollution.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 19/12/2014 12:08:13    1679484

offside rule - I don't think most Ulster Gaels have a problem with The Main Stadium for Ulster GAA being situated in Belfast, I am from Tyrone and would have no problem travelling up to watch Tyrone play in a state of the art stadium. One point I would just make to you this is not all about ANTRIM GAA. This is a Stadium to cater for the whole of Ulster. It just seems mistakes where made that has now held the whole development up. I believe Casement will be Developed and I will be more than happy to go and see Tyrone play there. I have been to several matches in Casement and have never had any problem with the locals one of the bars across from Casement sorry I forget the name I find the staff more than friendly and found that if you are going to eat there they would serve you very quickly knowing you are going to a match. I hope as Ulster Gaels one and all we can all get behind this project to have a first class Stadium for ALL Ulster Gaels to be proud of.

TyroneUltra (Tyrone) - Posts: 307 - 19/12/2014 12:45:02    1679488

Offside Rule
We actually played in a floating stadium in 1993. It was the Ulster Final v Derry. Wasn't a great idea!!

Tir Conaill Abu (Donegal) - Posts: 1675 - 19/12/2014 13:58:56    1679508

galwayford
County: Galway
Posts: 71

1679458
The capacity of Ravenhill or Kingspan park is 18000. Why on earth do the GAA want to go way above this. A stadium of around 22-25000 would be enough in my opinion, in Casement park.

-----------------------------------------------
Ahh galwayford is there something in Galway water over there?... How would a 25000 staduim be big enough when generally ulster games hit over 30000 mark attendances.. Ulster finals had to move to corker and were reaching nearly 70'000...think non ulster Gaels really understand. In the first round of the ulster championship, 2 games will both have 30'000 at them!!

.tribute (Cavan) - Posts: 360 - 19/12/2014 14:20:07    1679509

this is not all about ANTRIM GAA. This is a Stadium to cater for the whole of Ulster.

Of course its a stadium for all of Ulster and of course its not all about Antrim, however, right now the only County being directly affected is Antrim as we have lost the use of our County grounds. I know that the blame for this lies a lot within our County boundaries, both from within the Organisation and how it was handled and also from those who are against this development and what they are holding out for. Now, if I was looking at this from a purely selfish point I would be happy enough as the majority of our Hurling and Football games are played in the Glens or Ahoghill/Creggan and this is a lot more convenient for me and the likes who otherwise have quite a drive up to games in Casement. However, as always you have to take as balanced a view as you can and given the major population centre of the County is in Belfast then it makes sense that this is where the stadium is, regardless of how on the extremities of the County it is situated geographically.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 19/12/2014 14:27:26    1679510

We actually played in a floating stadium in 1993. It was the Ulster Final v Derry. Wasn't a great idea!!

Tir Conaill - they just forgot to down the anchor that day.

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 19/12/2014 14:38:29    1679513