Replying To points50swiththeargyllsonthewrongfeet:  "Half of Belfast is British, and have no, or very little, interest in Gaelic games. The other half is Irish, but, of that half, lots of them are S Belfast wine-drinking golfists, with no interest in Gaelic games, and lots more of that half are W Belfast spideys who are mainly into English soccer and boxing (or, as they say in Belfast, "baxin"). So while there is of course a lot of people in the Belfast area, overall, it's not exactly GAA territory. And that's why Antrim men's senior football team underperforms massively - consistently, easily the worst and most beatable team in Ulster. And while the Antrim men's hurling team is good, it's backboned by rural N. Antrim Glensmen, who hail from closer to Scotland than to Belfast.

I hate all these big stadiums anyway. Croke Park, unless it's full to capacity, has no atmosphere. You're too far away from the pitch, with way too much space between seats and pitch. I suppose though that that is mandated by crowd safety considerations nowadays. Older, cheaper grounds (including soccer grounds in Scotland and England), while often not much to write home about, tend to have a brilliant atmosphere, what with e.g., the old low roofs and the seats practically on top of the pitch, and the noise bouncing back down off the tin. Few thousand people in a small old, cramped stadium would generate a bit of atmosphere; whereas 40,000 in Croke Park seems dead.

Also, I cannot believe the prices that are being talked about. I know a bit about current construction projects, and 200, 300, 400 million? Seriously? For a pitch, some seating, and some stands? Get some Spanish / Polish contractors in and they'd do it for half the price and do a much better job too. Irish and British constructors and project managers, who are all either clipboard men, should not be getting near a construction project like it.

Also, the geographical centre of 9-county Ulster is between Carrickmore and Pomeroy, in Tyrone. So the Dungannon / Ballygawley roundabout location makes sense."

Replying To Square_B:  "An alternative site might be best but there's no way it should be built anywhere else but Belfast. Belfast badly needs a multipurpose stadium to cater for all sports and events. Nearly a third of the NI population live within the Belfast metropolitan area and that's where it should be. An upgrade of Clones should happen also."

Replying To points50swiththeargyllsonthewrongfeet:  "Half of Belfast is British, and have no, or very little, interest in Gaelic games. The other half is Irish, but, of that half, lots of them are S Belfast wine-drinking golfists, with no interest in Gaelic games, and lots more of that half are W Belfast spideys who are mainly into English soccer and boxing (or, as they say in Belfast, "baxin"). So while there is of course a lot of people in the Belfast area, overall, it's not exactly GAA territory. And that's why Antrim men's senior football team underperforms massively - consistently, easily the worst and most beatable team in Ulster. And while the Antrim men's hurling team is good, it's backboned by rural N. Antrim Glensmen, who hail from closer to Scotland than to Belfast.

I hate all these big stadiums anyway. Croke Park, unless it's full to capacity, has no atmosphere. You're too far away from the pitch, with way too much space between seats and pitch. I suppose though that that is mandated by crowd safety considerations nowadays. Older, cheaper grounds (including soccer grounds in Scotland and England), while often not much to write home about, tend to have a brilliant atmosphere, what with e.g., the old low roofs and the seats practically on top of the pitch, and the noise bouncing back down off the tin. Few thousand people in a small old, cramped stadium would generate a bit of atmosphere; whereas 40,000 in Croke Park seems dead.

Also, I cannot believe the prices that are being talked about. I know a bit about current construction projects, and 200, 300, 400 million? Seriously? For a pitch, some seating, and some stands? Get some Spanish / Polish contractors in and they'd do it for half the price and do a much better job too. Irish and British constructors and project managers, who are all either clipboard men, should not be getting near a construction project like it.

Also, the geographical centre of 9-county Ulster is between Carrickmore and Pomeroy, in Tyrone. So the Dungannon / Ballygawley roundabout location makes sense."

Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "Great post, building Casement was for the GAA a mini Croke Park in Belfast where they could rent out for big money spinner concerts, and to the tan ball crowd etc etc.
It was never the right location for big games like the Ulster final, It was something SF could point to as a big win over the the unionists, look what we have got by being good little republicans and following the British rule book in Stormont.
If we are going to have a new stadium to suit us all in Ulster it should be in mid Ulster as you suggest or else spend some money on Clones, it is a brilliant venue, the atmosphere in Clones town and at the ground on Ulster final day is fantastic."

Replying To SaffronDon:  "I'd say you'd have all the answers to the north's problems right enough."

Replying To Bon:  "I'd say casement park is the least of the north's problems."

Replying To SaffronDon:  "And as ever, a sporting issue was turned into a political one."

Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "It was a 'political football' all along."