Grounds for optimism

Casement Park received a much-needed facelift last year. Hogan Stand takes a look at the developments, and believes that the move will see more championship matches designated to the Belfast venue in the coming years.

Redevelopments at Casement Park, the home of Antrim GAA, were completed last September. The changes could mean the Belfast venue, which has a long and proud tradition of staging important championship games, will receive a greater number of high-profile matches in the near future.

As it has been for a while, football is the real strength in Ulster, with hurling in the province going through another trough after the Glensmen’s annihilation at the hands of Offaly last summer. Football is the code that regularly packs the terraces across the province. With that in mind, Casement Park needs to host more Ulster football championship matches than it has done in recent years. Already it seems that the redevelopments have been recognised, with the Ulster Council deciding to designate two high-profile championship matches to the ground in ‘99.

With Clones being used almost ad nauseum by the fixtures authorities in recent years (all but one of the Ulster football championship matches in ‘98 were played at the County Monaghan venue), few other grounds in the province have seen a great deal of action. Unfortunate, given that Breffni Park, Ballybofey and Celtic Park, along with Casement Park, are all more than capable of staging big championship clashes.

Time was when Casement Park was regarded as the principal gaelic games venue in the province, regularly holding important championship matches, including Ulster finals. Of course, Antrim’s poor record at championship level is a major factor in the dearth of major games at the venue, but a ground with the facilities of Casement Park should not be overlooked in future when a neutral venue is required. “[Before the redevelopments] Belfast was an ideal site for major games,” says Antrim County Board Secretary Eamonn McMahon, “and, together with the infrastructure of roads, made Casement Park a venue easily accessible. All we needed was a complimentary stadium.”

Now, in terms of facilities, Antrim gaels have all they need, and should the Football Development Committee’s radical proposals be implemented within the next twelve months, Casement Park would be guaranteed more games every year. Such an outcome would see the ground utilised as it should be, hosting as it would at least five, and probably more, championship matches in any given GAA season.

Forty-seven years after it was officially opened, the famous grass banks, which have been deemed unsuitable for major venues, have now been replaced by modern concrete terracing, bringing the ground in line with 21st century regulations. F.P. McCann Ltd. was the main contractor for the Casement Park redevelopment, and contracts manager Seamus Devlin led the project.

“The work started in September ‘98, and was finished within the programme,” explains Seamus. “Basically, the job consisted of constructing concrete terracing, with crush barriers and exits, and getting rid of the grass banks. Before the work started, approximately 80 per cent of the viewing area in Casement Park was grass.”

The company has, in the past, carried out renovations on other football grounds, including Lavey GFC in Derry, but the Casement Park project was the biggest sports venue contract that F.P. McCann Ltd. had ever gained. The £2.2m contract was awarded to the company in June ‘98.

“We were glad to get the contract,” says Seamus. “We tended for it in competition with a few other contractors, but our tender was the most competitive. At Lavey, the work was more on the pitch itself, and we have done plenty of other schools and soccer pitches, but the Casement Park job, while it wasn’t the biggest contract we have taken on, was definitely the biggest of its kind that we have done.”

Now that the grass banks have been replaced by terracing, greater comfort and convenience for the spectator is assured. Meeting safety standards is also a major consideration in stadium development, and Casement Park was improved to satisfy stringent EU comfort and safety regulations, with crush barriers erected and exits placed at strategic points around the ground.

President of the GAA Joe McDonagh, in his programme address for the official opening of the new Casement Park, said: “Having visited the stadium for the recent Ulster hurling final, I have seen at first hand the excellence of the development. I wish to compliment the contractors, F.P. McCann, the design team, Kirk McClure Morton, and all involved in undertaking the completion of this project to such a high standard.”

Funding for the redevelopment, which is central to the advancement of the GAA in Antrim in future years, came from various agencies, including GAA bodies such as the Antrim County Board, the Ulster Council and the Ard Comhairle, as well as the Department of the Environment’s “Making Belfast Work” scheme, the Peace and Reconciliation Fund and the Sports Council for Northern Ireland.

The gates of Casement Park were opened for the first time in June of 1953, with Armagh Harps defeating St John’s of Antrim in the final of the inaugural Ulster Club Tournament. As befits its widely-held reputation as one of the top gaelic games venue in the province, Casement Park hosted the Ulster football final less than a month later, which saw Armagh overcome reigning All-Ireland champions Cavan.

In all, Casement Park has hosted eight Ulster football finals. But the Antrim ground has not held the provincial showpiece since 1971, when Down beat Derry by 4-14 to 4-11 in a classic encounter. While Clones looks to have the final in its grasp for the near future at least, the Antrim County Board will be content with a continuation of the trend set in ‘99, which saw the Cavan-Derry first round game and the Down-Tyrone semi-final staged at Casement.

Certainly F. P. McCann’s Seamus Devlin believes that the ground deserves the right to host more top-class games. “We believe that these redevelopments have brought Casement Park in line with any of the top provincial grounds in the country,” he says. “The capacity lies somewhere around the 30,000 mark, which makes it one of the biggest arenas in Ulster, and more than suitable for top-class games. I would like to see a few more matches being hosted by Casement Park because the Antrim County Board have put a lot of effort into improving their stadium.”

Due recognition of that should come with the announcement of the venues for the Ulster championship later in the year.