Abandoned 34,500-seater football stadium that had been tipped to host Euro 2028 matches in new boost after £50m funding
4
An abandoned stadium has received a fresh boost
Credit: AFP
4
Casement Park was initially selected to host Euro 2028 matches
Credit: Pacemaker
It saw Northern Ireland join England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland as a host nation.
But Northern Ireland was axed as one of the host nations
The national team currently plays at Windsor Park, which holds 18,000 fans.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
However, Uefa requires all grounds for major tournaments to hold at least 30,000 spectators.
And
But now, the overgrown arena has been given a major boost after receiving £50m towards a £260m rebuild.
That money has come from the government, according to the
Most read in Football
BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS
And it has finally been confirmed that the funds will not have to be repaid, with the £50m being provided as an 'equity stake' and not a loan.
Despite the cash boost, the redevelopment of Casement Park is still not fully financed.
Jarlath Burns warns 'time is money' over Casement Park stadium project
4
Casement Park has received £50million in funding from the government
Credit: Getty
4
It has been confirmed that the money does not have to be paid back
Credit: Pacemaker
£260m is required for a full rebuild, but the Gaelic Athletic Association can only find £120m on top of the government's £50m – leaving a £90m shortfall in total.
Casement Park used to be a top stadium for hurling and Gaelic football matches.
Tens of thousands of fans used to cram in for matches.
But the venue shut down in 2013 and has since been left abandoned.
Now, the derelict site has received planning permission to be modernised and early demolition work has begun.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The 42
8 hours ago
- The 42
Maguire 4 off lead following second round at Evian Championship
Updated at 19.37 LEONA MAGUIRE IS four shots off the lead following her second round at the Evian Championship in France, the fourth major championship of the year. Maguire shot an even-par 71 to sit six under, four shots off the lead. The Cavan native birdied the par-three second, but dropped a shot with a bogey on the par-three eighth. Lightning nearly strikes twice! ⚡️ Leona Maguire so close to making it a second hole in one in as many days 😮 — Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 11, 2025 Advertisement Maguire then found par on the next six holes, before registering two birdies and two bogeys across her final four holes. Yesterday, a stunning hole-in-one on the second helped fire Maguire to an opening round 65 and a share of the clubhouse lead. South Korea's Lee So-mi surged into a one-stroke lead after shooting a six-under-par 65. The 26-year-old carded six birdies and an eagle in her second round to go top of the leaderboard on 10-under. She is just above Australia's Grace Kim, one of five players who were in a five-way tie at the summit overnight. Lee has only once finished in the top 10 at a major, sharing eighth place at last month's Women's PGA Championship. Kim signed for a steady 68 featuring four birdies and a bogey, with American Jennifer Kupcho, a former runner-up in the Evian, one shot further back after going round in 69. World number one Nelly Korda is five strokes off the pace following a one-under 70 in round two. The American is targeting a third major title and first since last year's Chevron. Korda started poorly with two bogeys and then a double bogey on the 16th hole before finding some form on the front nine, where she made three birdies to claw back into contention. You can follow the live leaderboard here. Additional reporting by AFP
The 42
10 hours ago
- The 42
Crystal Palace will drop down to Conference League over ownership rules
Crystal Palace have been forced to drop down to the Conference League after falling foul of UEFA's rules on multi-club ownership. Palace qualified for the Europa League thanks to their FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May, but under Article Five of UEFA's club competition regulations, clubs wishing to be eligible for qualification in 2025-26 had to be able to demonstrate as of March 1 that no individual or legal entity had control or influence over more than one club in the same competition. UEFA's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) determined that American businessman John Textor's interest in both Palace and Lyon meant only one of the clubs could enter the Europa League, with Lyon's higher league position edging out Palace. Palace will drop into the Conference League, with Nottingham Forest expected to replace them in the Europa League, though this was not immediately confirmed by UEFA. Advertisement UEFA said the decision could be appealed against at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). League of Ireland side Drogheda United tried – and failed – to have their expulsion from the Conference League reversed due to similar multi-club issues. UEFA had to postpone a decision in this case pending the outcome of an appeal by Lyon against a decision by French football's financial regulator to relegate them to the second division. Lyon had reached a settlement with UEFA agreeing to be excluded from European competition if that relegation was upheld on appeal, but on Wednesday the club learned they had overturned the original decision and held on to their top-flight spot. Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest are considering legal action against Tottenham over an alleged illegal approach for Morgan Gibbs-White. The England international was set for a medical in north London today after Spurs were understood to have triggered Gibbs-White's £60million release clause. However, Forest have accused the Europa League winners of contacting Gibbs-White directly rather than making an official approach. The PA news agency understands Forest are furious and, in response, are drawing up legal papers with a view to reporting Spurs to the Premier League. As result, the deal appears to be on hold for now, although Forest are powerless to stop it happening if Spurs go through the proper channels. Tottenham have been approached for comment by the PA news agency.
The 42
10 hours ago
- The 42
Stage 6 winner Healy comes crashing down to earth at Tour de France
TADEJ POGACAR WON stage 7 of the Tour de France today to retake the overall lead with a trademark swoop up the short, steep slope of the Mur de Bretagne. But a crash among the favourites' group six kilometres from the finish led to Irish pair Ben Healy and Eddie Dunbar coming off their bikes. Both were able to get back on the saddle but Healy, who won yesterday's stage after a daring breakaway, had to make do with 26th while Dunbar, who was fourth on Thursday, was back in 73rd. Visma's Jonas Vingegaard was second, right on Pogacar's wheel at the line with Oscar Onley third after that late nine-rider pile up marred the finale. Pogacar, the defending champion, gained four sec on Vingegaard with 10 bonus seconds to the Dane's six. In the overall standings, Remco Evenepoel is second overall 54 seconds off first as he came sixth on the day, two seconds adrift. Advertisement Crash in the favourites' group, with Joao Almeida and Santiago Buitrago among those involved Chute dans le groupe de favoris, il y a notamment Joao Almeida et Santiago Buitrago qui sont impliqués#TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 11, 2025 French starlet Kevin Vauquelin continues his bright run in third at 1min 11sec while two time champion Vingegaard is fourth at 1min 17. The overnight leader Mathieu van der Poel rounds out the top five at 1min 29sec after wilting on the final climb, scene of his 2021 coming of age win and his first yellow jersey. The day's action revolved around two ascents of the Mur de Bretagne, a 2km climb at an average of 6 precent, that has been written into Tour de France folklore. With the Tour returning to Brittany after a four years gap, huge festive crowds packed the villages and pretty country lanes as the temperature hit 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). The 179 remaining riders left Saint Malo on the north-west coast passing the magnificent Sillon beach with its granite sea-wall and chic sea-front buildings. Fewer of them will take the start line for Saturday's flat run to Laval, with doubts over key Pogacar teammate Joao Almeida and the Colombian Santiago Buitrago. – © AFP 2025
