What Belfast has to offer is largely irrelevant seeing as most of what it has to offer is in the city centre and fans attending matches in Casement wont be going near there. A few local pubs doesn’t mean the area can handle 20,000 supporters. Talk of possible BRT is irrelevant, even if it was operational the number of fans coming from the route would be tiny. Antrim are not a force at present and the strongest and most supported teams are from the south and west of the province which has very limited public transport links to that area. People will be driven to Casement, either in private cars or buses and so the area has to be able to cater for this. Given the restricted nature of the site, I cant see how they will have parking for anything other than team buses.
My issue is that the new stadium seems to be designed around hosting big games and selling corporate tickets. Even if all big games were played in Casement, it is at most three games a year. There is no way Clones will be completely left out, the strongest teams in Ulster atm are Donegal, Tyrone, Monaghan and Cavan, Clones will still be used so Casement will only get one or two games a year with attendances of over 20k. It would be better to design the stadium for the needs of Antrim GAA, who will be the main user of the stadium, with the possibility to increase capacity for big games.
Croke Park is different, mainly because of its proximity to the city centre. It is within walking distance of the main bus station, as well as Connolly station, which is linked to the national heavy rail network, and Luas Red line. It is possible to a get bus/train from the main towns directly to within walking distance of Croke Park. Many Dublin Bus routes also pass close to the stadium. Considering the Dubs generate the biggest crowds, the majority of their fans only have relatively short distances to travel and can use public transport. There is also parking for 500 cars beside it in Clonliffe College and O’Connell School, as well as city centre car parks and on street residential parking, and buses park at Mountjoy Square. There is no comparison between Casement and Croke Park.
No one is suggesting that Stormont money should be spent in Monaghan, just that the money should not be spent on a white elephant in a bad location. If Ulster GAA needed a “Provincial Stadium” (which it doesn’t) and it was going to be located in Belfast, it should be in a suitable location. If they are going to redevelop Casement, they shouldn’t repeat the mistakes they already made by designing something which was unsuitable for the site and the general area.
