Originally Posted by Kingdom
I'd be amazed of any of those were issues with regards PUC.
Hotel rooms : surely as many in Cork as in places like Poznan
Parking: PUC was used as a vaccine centre with ample on site parking and as for entry points to the stadium, I'm not sure with all the development and work that has gone on around the stadium ( it's now wheelchair accessible all round for example ) that shouldn't be an issue either.
Thinking of all the public money that went into this and the shambolic nature of the redevelopment, this is exactly the type of event we should be bringing to Cork imo
That was mental, and was very widely criticised at the time. But the reality is that this is a joint bid. Stunts like that won't work because the English would (very reasonably) point out that they have half a dozen stadiums that don't have anything like that sort of issue.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
Yeah, that is the other thing. This is going to be an English Euros, with Cardiff, Glasgow, Dublin and maybe Belfast helping out. That's how they will see it anyway.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
incredibly its being reported today that Russia plan to bid for Euro 28 (and 32)
I would assume their suspension precludes such things. They can say they are applying all they like. They can also say they're going to qualify for the World Cup.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
Turkey bidding too but you'd feel the UK and Ireland bid would be favourites to get it.
Another thing I saw raised elsewhere, regards Croke Park and the possibility of Casement, is that the tournament will intersect with GAA Championships, and I doubt UEFA will be interested in not having reserved use of the grounds for the period in question. I'm thinking more and more Ireland's involvement will be limited to the Aviva.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
when has the GAA ever worried about this when there is a few quid to be made? I am thinking Ed Sheeran and pairc ui chaoimhs availabilty for possibly corks only football championship game this year
I'd say they'd worry about the reaction in their Congress to the idea of Croke Park being unavailable for the All-Ireland Semi-Finals and Finals, at least. It would have to be a lot of money for that. And I don't want the GAA getting any of it.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
No offence to other posters, but there are some serious misconceptions going on here.
Assuming this bid is successful, you have to remember that in reality, it is "England's bid". I mean, they could easily stage a 32 team tournament on their own with the stadia they already have. However due to the politics of UEFA, they needed to rope in the other four Associations for their votes, and to make the bid look something different from "those bloody English again, with their Home of Football and We Invented The Game, dontcha know?"
Add to that the fact that Westminster will be putting up serious dosh, and the other four Associations will have to accept pretty much what the FA allows.
Re FAW, that means the Millennium. The SFA will get Hampden and possibly Murrayfield? While the FAI will get the AVIVA. It is just possible that Croke might also be allowed, but I think it highly unlikely, for two reasons. First, unless hosting the final, no other city has ever been permitted two stadia. And second, Croke would likely need serious money spent on it to bring it up to UEFA tournament standard in 2028. And even then, the FAI isn't going to be happy at Irish government money for football actually going to the GAA - that's if your government would be prepared to stump up the extra in the first place (debateable). And as for eg Cork or Galway... try 2128 fellas!
Which leaves little ol' Norn Iron. First of all, the minimum UEFA capacity requirement is 30k, with Windsor currently being 18k. UEFA might just make an exception down to 25k, but even then I really doubt WP could physically accommodate that and even if it could, it would cost many millions, which ain't gonna materialise.
Which leaves Casement. The GAA have right royally screwed up on this one. First, their original 40k plan was rejected on planning grounds, also a Judicial Review and local opposition. Then they came back with a revised 34k plan. This (somehow) got Planning Permission from Stormont, but the locals are just as unhappy and have been granted a second JR.
And even if the GAA wins this one (not guaranteed), such has been the effect of inflation over the intervening 14 years, that they now need another £33m (and counting), over and above the £62m originally awarded by Stormont in 2008.
For political reasons, the present SF Sports minister wants to grant this, but even if the money could be found, both the IFA and Ulster Rugby are going to say: "If we managed successfully on time and within our original budget, why should the GAA now be rewarded for their failure? We should get an extra wedge too.".
One way out for her might be get extra dosh from Westminster by using Casement to host Euro games (if they do get it built within the next 6 years, that is). And as for GSTQ ringing out over Casement etc, there is no guarantee NI will qualify, and even if we do, the GAA would need the IFA's support in making their funding request to Stormont/Westminster and as the great philosopher Marx* once said: "Whenever I hear people say 'It's the Principle, not the Money', rest assured it's the Money!" So they'll just have to stick their fingers in their ears for 90 seconds and quietly hum the Soldiers Song!
Meanwhile - and especially if Casement doesn't materialise - if Westminster is going to have to be stump up serious cash for this whole event, they'll be politically bound to spread it out between the four nations. And if NI football isn't getting a shiny new 30k stadium, which it won't, then top of the IFA's shopping list is a shiny new Training Centre. This could be used as a base for one or more of the teams playing in Dublin/Glasgow/Liverpool etc, then afterwards provide far more of a long term benefit to the domestic game than 3 or 4 internationals in June 2028.
I'd certainly be happy with that.
* - Groucho, not Karl.
FYI, Porto had two venues in 2004 with Lisbon hosting the final. On your second comment, Croke Park isn't an option - it's the premier GAA venue, in high use during the summer - the GAA aren't going to give up Croke Park for an extended period during their high season and especially not for foreign games. Cork is more likely than a NI venue however unlikely that is - there is a structure there after all. But in agreement with your venues; the Aviva, Cardiff, Glasgow, Murrayfield, and the rest in England.
Eirambler said as much earlier in the thread. NI's involvement will be as a training base and hopefully our involvement will also result in spending on facilities.
Karl was probably the better comedian ( Though Un-intentionally ) and that wasn’t easy considering Groucho Marx was a Great Comedian.
Afaia, up to now a city can have 2 venues, only if one is also used as venue for the Final.
If we were starting again in the North, we wouldn't want to start from here.
Whenever Windsor Park and Ravenhill were being tarted up, the IFA and Ulster Rugby should have been allowed/encouraged to throw their cash in together and build something capable of hosting a Euros Game or Rugby World Cup match on a new site down in the Titanic Quarter or somewhere similar. At around the same time Brighton built Falmer Stadium for not much more than the 2 projects combined and have something vastly superior to show for it. But that's all water under the bridge.
I agree about the politics of Casement. They got planning permission because the SDLP infrastructure minister found a way not to say no to the GAA, and the SF sports minister was doing everything she could to get the cash to build it, but what they are building is a boondoggle. It's simultaneously too big for a county ground Antrim, but too small for an Ulster provincial HQ.
Given that, and the never-ending legal difficulties you mentioned, it seems the best thing for all involved would be moving on from Casement and trying again somewhere else. Quite frankly what we need to break the log-jam is a unionist sports minister, not beholden to the GAA, who can explain to them in words of one syllable that Andytown is a completely daft place for this.
What do you think of the idea of a big GAA stadium somewhere else in the city, that could also host athletics? If a unionist sports minister was able to get the words Commonwealth Games into every other sentence, could they get away with handing even more money over to the GAA?
Ideally it would be on the Co. Antrim side of the river to keep the GGA on board, so the Giants Park might be a decent site.
It doesn't really matter. There's no way they would allow 2 cities to have more than one stadium. They will allow one, and that city will be London.
If it was allowed they could present a plausible bid for a tournament that never goes outside the M25. Even allowing London to have 2 there will be at least 3 60,000+ stadiums there that won't be used at all!
Last edited by backstothewall; 23/03/2022 at 7:40 PM.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
Currently Casement Pk plans are for 35k capacity which is ample for Ulster GAA championship purposes though expansive for Antrim GAA, but who knows they could rise to fill those boots.
Good point on the rugby and soccer, could have built the one stadium as both fields of play are compatible, whereas, even if the GAA was willing to share their pitches are just too big.
One alternative should NI qualify for 2028, they could play their group games in Edinburgh, should Scotland be fixed in Glasgow.
If NI don't qualify, would their fans be that concerned about not being able to host a group in Belfast?
Croke Park doesn't need much (if any) work to bring it up to UEFA standard, it would just be a question of whether the Hill is used as temporary seating or just left empty. It's a 70,000 seater stadium even without using Hill 16.
The bigger issue is whether two stadiums in Dublin will be allowed, but my suspicion is that if the tournament goes to 32 teams the rules will be clarified to allow this.
I wouldn't worry about any clashes with the GAA championship, money always comes first with the GAA, that would be easily dealt with.
I can't believe there are people suggesting Pairc Ui Chaiomh here though. Sorry lads, but there's no nice way to say it, it's an absolute sh!thole - even in its recently upgraded state. It's just two stands down the two sides of the pitch and the rest is terracing. Grand for the Munster Championship but there's not a hope in hell that the Euros goes anywhere near Cork. Sorry, but that's just the reality here.
Portugal needed 10 venues.
Here are the 8 cities which hosted them, by population (2021 figures):
518k - Lisbon
250k - Porto
121k - Braga
106k - Coimbra
54k - Aveiro
45k - Leiria
41k - Faro
40k - Guimares
Meaning they were never going to build even a 28k stadium in eg some town of 30k or35k people, which already had its own professional club attracting average attendances of a few thousand.
Meaning doubling up on on Porto as well as Lisbon was the only way Portugal could possibly host it.
If the money was right, I suspect they would - it's extra revenue from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But there would still be significant costs to make it UEFA Category 4 level and I can't see the Irish government diverting some more of soccer's funding to that end, or the FAI standing idly by, so I agree with you that Croke almost certainly won't be used, just for differing reasons.
I've just googled PuC and I'd bet my house on Cork not happening.
For one thing it only has 21k seats and converting terracing is not a simple matter of bolting on a few seats. And for another, its barely one third under cover - UEFA doesn't do open seating. Third, it almost certainly doesnt have the extensive VIP, Corporate, Sponsors and Media facilities necessary to stage such an event.
Look, for example, at the hoops the FAW had to jump through to stage the 2017 CL Final at the Millennium i.e. one game on one day:
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/...pions-12928557
Meaning it would take tens of millions to get Cork up to standard and there's no way the Irish government is going to plough any more into that stadium, while UEFA awards tournaments to countries in the knowledge that money will be spent developing soccer stadia, not those of some other sport.
Above all, there's no way the English FA (or its Westminster paymaster) is going to tell eg Bristol or Leeds that they cannot host a Group because Cork GAA has got it. Forget it.
Where outside Dublin justifies building a 30k all-seater soccer stadium costing maybe €50m?
Not a hope for either (imo).
The Super Cup doesn't attract much interest, which is why UEFA has farmed it out in recent years to the likes of Tallinn, Skopje and Trondheim, which drew crowds of fewer than 20k. Even Budapest only drew 15k in the 67k Puskas Arena for Bayern vs Sevilla in 2020. While this year it's Helsinki and 2023 is Kazan. Yes, that Kazan...
As for Thomond, UEFA simply isn't in the business of doing business with other sports, even if it had the requisite 30k capacity, which it doesn't.
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