IFA Delay Hits Sports Stadia Project

Funding that has been earmarked for a massive sports stadia rebuilding scheme may not be released yet.

It has emerged there are still ongoing problems at the Irish Football Association (IFA) to be resolved.

Sports Minister Nelson McCausland has this week reiterated his call for an independent review of the IFA and warned that cash for redevelopment would be withheld until its completion.

At present, rugby, GAA and soccer are all waiting for multi-million pound grants to improve their respective stadia but the Minister now says the cash would not be released to rugby and GAA alone.

That's despite reports suggesting that he would provide money to the two sports and wait until the IFA review was completed before Windsor Park soccer ground is given the 'green light'.


Yesterday, there were high hopes that it could give NI's construction sector a fillip should the proposed £110m package of sports stadia developments be finally agreed.

The Stormont Executive has already axed proposals for a single multi-sports venue for football, rugby and gaelic games at the site of the former prison at the Maze outside Lisburn.

The long awaited multi-million pound redevelopment of Windsor Park, Casement Park and Ravenhill is instead now inching towards approval by Minister McCausland.

The proposal includes a redeveloped Windsor Park with an increased capacity of 18,000.

The GAA venue Casement Park in west Belfast will then be razed to the ground and rebuilt with a maximum capacity of 40,000 and in rugby, Ravenhill developed to accommodate 15,000 spectators.

Agreement was delayed because of management issues that were initially thought to have been resolved to the Minister's satisfaction within the IFA Board.

The Stormont Executive spent millions of pounds on consultancy projects and planning for the initial Maze prison proposal.

See: Sports Minister Aims For £110m 'Goal'

(BMcC/GK)