Euro 2028 - Host bid

[HibeeJibee]

Belfast shenanigans:


Casement Park 'the only Belfast venue' for Euro 2028 despite new capacity concerns - Belfast Live
 

The GAA remain “hopeful” that a new Casement Park will make the shortlist of 10 stadiums next April for the Euro 2028 bid, although it remains unclear whether or not the venue will meet UEFA requirements.

Should work start on the much-delayed project next summer, the GAA believe that games could be played at the West Belfast stadium as early as late 2025.

The capacity for the new stadium is 34,500 - but only 26,000 will be seated as the South Stand will be terraced. No stadium with a capacity of under 30,000 can be considered to host games and, at present, UEFA doesn’t permit the use of temporary seating. That provides yet another hurdle for the GAA, but Stephen McGeehan, Ulster GAA’s Casement Park Stadium Sponsor, believes a solution can be found in order for Casement to be one of the 10 venues submitted to UEFA by the bid team next April.
...

The only option to host a game in Belfast, according to McGeehan, is at the new Casement Park.

Last week, Ali Pour, the owner of Glentoran, unveiled plans to build a new 34,000 capacity stadium in the Harbour area of Belfast and suggested in an interview with the Sunday Life that it could rival Casement as a potential venue to host Euro 2028 games.



No blank cheque for Casement Park as leading GAA figures urge politicians to honour commitments - Belfast Live
 

The GAA remains firmly and steadfastly committed to the Casement Park project, but insists there isn’t a blank cheque for the redevelopment of the famous West Belfast stadium.

The association remains prepared to contribute £15m in order to see a planned 34-500 capacity stadium built on the Andersonstown Road. That was also the figure the GAA was willing to pay back in 2011 when the NI Executive gave a commitment to upgrade Casement along with Windsor Park and Ravenhill. While Winsor and Ravenhill have been transformed into modern stadiums, Casement Park lies in ruins. The redevelopment of Casement has been in the headlines for over a decade, but those involved at the coalface of the project believe there is light at the end of the tunnel.

With all legal challenges and planning issues in the rearview mirror, Stephen McGeehan knows the next major hurdle to clear is financing the project.

Under the original funding model, the cost of building the new stadium (then to be a 40,000 capacity venue) was estimated to be £77.5 million with £62.5m coming from local government and the GAA contributing £15m.

Pre-Covid, the costs were estimated to have soared to £110m and the final figure is anticipated to be much greater. When asked if there was a point at which the GAA would walk away from the Casement Park redevelopment due to the cost involved, McGeehan replied: “I might ask that question in a different way. People may say, is it a case that a stadium should be built at any cost? “From an Ulster Council GAA point of view and from a GAA perspective, we would say no. “Clearly, from an affordability, value for money and an investment point of view, we feel the Casement Park Stadium should proceed and it should proceed at the 34,000 capacity that we’ve long anticipated and waited for.
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Yet, the absence of an Executive at Stormont continues to cast doubt, not just on the viability of Casement Park being included in the Euro 2028 bid, but also on the completion of the project itself. McGeehan is confident that the financial package that was promised still remains available, although he concedes there is a level of “uncertainty” surrounding funding.

 

[topcat(The most tip top)]

So the GAA which doesn't pay its players, needs capacity for 35,000 paying spectators but can't find any money to pay for it.

Does anybody else find that odd?

[invergowrie arab]

1 hour ago, topcat(The most tip top) said:

So the GAA which doesn't pay its players, needs capacity for 35,000 paying spectators but can't find any money to pay for it.

Does anybody else find that odd?

The GAA is more like Hampden and Murrayfield. A few big events a year.

So, about as odd as the SFA and SRU only updating the pie stalls in the last 30 years.

[DiegoDiego]

Turkey 2028:

Unless we can come up with a stadium shaped like Nessie you've got to think Turkey will get the nod.

[topcat(The most tip top)]

5 minutes ago, invergowrie arab said:

The GAA is more like Hampden and Murrayfield. A few big events a year.

So, about as odd as the SFA and SRU only updating the pie stalls in the last 30 years.

Point taken, although it would probably have taken the SRU a lot less than 30 years to clear the mortgage for the "new" Murrayfield if the game had remained amateur. 
 

 

 

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

It doesn't seem like the bid is going very well.

https://thefootballfaithful.com/uefa-warns-uk-and-ireland-over-euro-2028-bid/

[Donathan]

7 hours ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

It doesn't seem like the bid is going very well.

https://thefootballfaithful.com/uefa-warns-uk-and-ireland-over-euro-2028-bid/

Turkey get a bid thrown in the bin every few years. Not sure why but UEFA seem reluctant to have a tournament there.

 

If the UK issues don’t get sorted asap I could see UEFA pivoting to another Euro 2020 style tournament with various host cities. 

[craigkillie]

21 hours ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

It doesn't seem like the bid is going very well.

https://thefootballfaithful.com/uefa-warns-uk-and-ireland-over-euro-2028-bid/

This is all just standard negotiating, I don't see anything there that won't be overcome given the very obvious political will of the government to host it.

[Pie Of The Month]

Plus if there's anything we don't like we can just agree to it then backtrack the week of the tournament like Qatar.

[Paco]

The ten stadiums have been confirmed for the joint UK/Ireland bid. Hampden remains the only one in Scotland.

Any chance at all of us qualifying automatically? If it’s one spot, England would “deserve” it the most given they have six stadiums and presumably most of the latter stages. But they certainly need it least and I’m not convinced they’d really want it either. In the 16 teams days we’ve seen several joint bids with two hosts qualifying. 

[lubo_blaha]

3 minutes ago, Paco said:

The ten stadiums have been confirmed for the joint UK/Ireland bid. Hampden remains the only one in Scotland.

Any chance at all of us qualifying automatically? If it’s one spot, England would “deserve” it the most given they have six stadiums and presumably most of the latter stages. But they certainly need it least and I’m not convinced they’d really want it either. In the 16 teams days we’ve seen several joint bids with two hosts qualifying. 

They should award automatic qualification to the highest ranked UEFA Nations League side.

[craigkillie]

Don't really understand the negativity around this, a Euros being hosted on these shores is long overdue, Euro 2020 obviously had the games here but the mixture of covid and the multi-host thing meant it didn't really feel like a UK tournament - or even like a major tournament at all to be honest. I can't see any downside at all aside from the expected bitterness about England, the country with the most people and massive stadia coming out of their ears, having the most games.

I think it will be great as a fan, and if we can get some government money to do up Hampden and potentially also some other training facilities then it will be good for the game too.

[Pie Of The Month]

The capacity of Hampden in the bid document is higher at 52,032 than the SFA state Hampden's capacity is (51,866) and I'm not sure if they've even updated that since they took a few rows of seats away in the North Stand to accommodate the new wheelchair viewing platforms. Might suggest there is some sort of redevelopment involved.

[craigkillie]

The official attendance at the Spain game was under 50k despite it being sold out - obviously there will have been a few ticketholders unable to go, but I wonder what the actual capacity is these days.

[Fuctifano]

Would they increase the number of teams to 32 with 5 qualifying automatically or would 2020/1 set a precedent that hosts no longer qualify automatically in multi-nation hosted tournaments? 

[Highland Capital]

This is just an English bid with a few token games thrown in for the rest of us.  Let England and the Celtic nations bid for it alone.

[craigkillie]

The original plan from UEFA was an increase to 32, which wouldn't really add any extra games for any individual country, but that seems to have been voted down. They'll need to find one way or another of sorting out the hosting situation, I wonder if they'll f**k about with the play-offs to give any hosts who fail to qualify normally a second chance in those.

[forameus]

I'd be inclined to do away with any automatic qualification for any multi-country bids.  Let's face it, England don't need it (although it would deny them pissing off to spend a campaign playing whatever friendlies they want from available teams), and Scotland/Wales/the Irelands should absolutely be able to qualify for a 24 team tournament.  Did any Euro 2020/1 hosts end up not qualifying?

[Jives Miguel]

Lot of shite. England should just do it on their own.

[TheScarf]

England getting another home tournament with all their games at Wembley is it?  They're desperate to win something with this squad.