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Recent State Of Casement Park Surprises UK Football Fans After Its Inclusion In Euro 2028 Bid

Recent State Of Casement Park Surprises UK Football Fans After Its Inclusion In Euro 2028 Bid
Joshua Bell Curran
By Joshua Bell Curran
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The joint Ireland and UK bid  to host Euro 2028 was formally submitted this morning with two Irish stadiums listed among the final 10. Dublin's Aviva Stadium and Belfast's Casement Park are the only two Irish stadiums on the list, with 82,000 seater Croke Park's exclusion a big surprise for some Irish fans.

While the Aviva stadium might be ready to go, the GAA's Casement Park is far from it: out of action for over a decade the dilapidated stadium has been waiting for a revamp since 2009.

The bid's 'one city, one stadia' approach leaves Casement as the only option for Northern Ireland with neither Windsor Park or Kingspan Stadium viable options to host the games.

For those responsible for the redevelopment of the West Belfast stadium, today's announcement is great news, but also brings with it a feeling of pressure, as the clock begins to tick down to June 2028.

Casement Park's troubles

Casement's issues have been long documented. This was the condition of the ground - as documented by Stephen McCarthy of Sportsfile - back in June 2020.

Casement Park Pitch

11 June 2020; A general view of Casement Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Located on Andersonstown Road in the west of the city, Casement Park serves as the home ground of the Antrim football and hurling teams. The stadium is currently closed and in a state of dereliction, with redevelopment plans pending now for several years. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Casement Park Main Stand

11 June 2020; A general view of Casement Park in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Located on Andersonstown Road in the west of the city, Casement Park serves as the home ground of the Antrim football and hurling teams. The stadium is currently closed and in a state of dereliction, with redevelopment plans pending now for several years. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Despite the stadium's current condition, planning permission was finally granted for the stadium's redevelopment in 2021 and with the appeal against that now rejected, the renovations are taking place. Just last December Ulster GAA released what their new home would look like, revealing construction would start shortly.

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This photograph of the ground was taken today, which shows the extent of the work there is to do.

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All the reaction to Casement Park's Inclusion in the bid

Despite the GAA's impressive plans, plenty of UK football fans have today learned about Casement Park for the first time.

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There's been some interesting reaction. Even one of football's biggest YouTubers has been joking about the stadium's redevelopment.

Casement isn't the only unfinished venue on the list. The new Everton stadium on Liverpool's docks is also on the list.

With over a decade of delays for those waiting on the delivery of Casement Park, here's hoping the plan to put some of the world's best footballers there in five years' time, will see one of the GAA's great truly great venues rejuvenated.

SEE ALSO: 10 Stadia Confirmed For Ireland And UK Euro 2028 Bid

Euro 2028 Stadiums Aviva and Casement

 

 

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