How Will Casement Park be Renovated for Euro 2028?
Football ground seats Credit: None
In April 2023, a total of ten football stadiums across England, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales were announced as the future hosts of Euro 2028 matches. Six months later, this information was confirmed by UEFA, and one of them is Northern Ireland's 31,000-capacity Casement Park stadium.
However, in a long-running saga that started in 2011, hardly any work has been done, and the new venue is unlikely to be ready in time for the world's second-biggest football tournament.
Where is Casement Park?
Casement Park (full name Roger Casement Park) is a football stadium located at 88-104 Andersonstown Road in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It's one of the largest stadiums in the country and sits close to the M1 motorway that leads out of the city toward the south.
The ground opened for Gaelic games in 1953 and was renovated in 2000 before closing in June 2013.
Redevelopment proposals
Plans to redevelop Casement Park have been in the works for some time. In 2011, it was revealed that £61.4 million of the total £138 million in grant money from the Northern Ireland Executive would be allocated to redevelop Casement Park to turn it into a 40,000-capacity all-seater stadium.
Unfortunately, the funding was never approved. Objections were raised by the Mooreland and Owenvarragh Residents Association (MORA), which took action by filing a lawsuit against the redevelopment plans. Eventually, a high court decision ruled against the project, stating that a ministerial decision granting planning approval for the stadium redevelopment was unlawful. This added further delays to the project.
In October 2020, Minister for Infrastructure Nichola Mallon recommended planning approval. Although the project was still facing funding issues and objections, planning permission was eventually approved.
The UK and Ireland won a joint bid to host the Euro 2028 football tournament, and if Casement Park undergoes renovations to turn it into a 34,758-capacity stadium, it would be included as one of the hosts of the upcoming European championship matches in 2028.
Constant issues with government funding have delayed the project, but in February 2024, clearance work eventually began. The following month, demolition work to tear down the venue's concrete terracing commenced.
However, there were even more setbacks in June 2024, when it was announced that specific details of funding would not be released until after the July 4 general election.
Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said that she will do everything in her power to ensure the redevelopment project goes ahead, which means that the new Casement Park stadium may end up being ready in time for the UEFA European Football Championship in 2028.
However, Labour have made no commitment to completing Casement Park, and spiralling costs mean it could now exceed £300 million.
To gain approval from UEFA and be included as one of the host venues, the new Casement Park stadium must be opened at least one year before the tournament starts.
Which other venues will be used for Euro 2028?
We will just have to wait and see if Casement Park will be ready in time to be used as a Euro 2028 venue. The confirmed venues so far include:
- Stadium: Wembley Stadium. City: London. Capacity: 90,652
- Stadium: Everton Stadium. City: Liverpool. Capacity: 52,888
- Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium. City: Manchester. Capacity: 61,000
- Stadium: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. City: London. Capacity: 62,322
- Stadium: St James' Park. City: Newcastle. Capacity: 52,305
- Stadium: Villa Park. City: Birmingham. Capacity: 42,640
- Stadium: Aviva Stadium. City: Dublin. Capacity: 51,711
- Stadium: Millennium Stadium. City: Cardiff. Capacity: 73,952
- Stadium: Hampden Park. City: Glasgow. Capacity: 52,032
The potential to make history
Although Casement Park is currently unavailable due to the ongoing redevelopment and funding saga, there is still a chance it could meet the deadline. If it is successful, any Euro 2028 matches hosted here will be the biggest sporting events ever held in Northern Ireland.
