Debate contribution: Casement Park: Non-GAA Events

Debate contribution by Mr Mark Durkan on 17 February 2026.

MLA

Mr Mark Durkan

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

17 February 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Casement Park: Non-GAA Events

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5394443

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I oppose the motion. We are speaking about the redevelopment of Casement Park, a long-promised, long-delayed project that represents far more than the construction of a stadium. It is about regeneration in west Belfast and parity of esteem in how we support our sporting infrastructure. The Executive have previously backed strategic investment in major venues for soccer and rugby. The draft Budget seeks to provide more for those sporting codes. We also want to see the fair roll-out of the Northern Ireland Football Fund, because such investments are recognised as being of regional significance. They have not been subject to special clawback mechanisms that are tied to commercial activity. Rather, they were understood, correctly, to be infrastructure projects that deliver social, economic and sporting returns far beyond the turnstiles. Why, when it comes to Casement Park, are we suddenly being told that any commercial income must be siphoned back into the public purse? It is hard not to conclude that the motion is more about rabble-rousing than revenue raising and that it is another potshot taken by Mr Gaston at the big, bad boogeyman that is the GAA.

Certainly.

I thank the Member for his intervention. I did not see any of that in the motion; it is the motion that we are debating. I acknowledge that the Member mentioned that in his remarks, but the motion does not say that. It singles out the GAA. Let us be honest about what the stadium is for. Its primary purpose is to serve the GAA community — sorry, it was remiss of me not to declare my membership of the GAA — from the Antrim county teams to the thousands of young people who dream, and who will dream, of walking out on to that pitch. It is about providing safe, modern facilities for a sporting organisation that is woven into the fabric of our communities. I encourage Mr Gaston to give it a go: we all know how much he loves scoring points.

We should recognise something else: the GAA is not a profit-distributing enterprise. It is a community-based, volunteer-led organisation that reinvests its revenues in grassroots sport. Every ticket sold, every event hosted and every sponsorship secured ultimately supports local clubs by funding coaching, youth development, facilities, inclusion programmes and community outreach. Across the North, GAA clubs are sustained by volunteers — parents, coaches, committee members — who give countless hours to help young people to keep active, healthy and engaged. When the GAA generates income from larger events, that money does not lie in shareholders' pockets. It goes back into parishes, pitches, changing rooms and programmes that strengthen communities. Casement Park may host concerts or international fixtures — I look forward to the day that it does — but that is not something to fear. It is to be welcomed. Those events will bring visitors, jobs and spending into west Belfast and wider Belfast. Local cafes, shops, taxis and hotels will benefit: the wider economy will benefit. That is how public infrastructure works. We do not demand a clawback from private businesses that profit when roads are built, airports expanded or city centres regenerated. We recognise that public investment creates economic ecosystems. To impose a legally enforceable clawback mechanism uniquely on Casement Park would send the wrong message.

Sorry, I will not have time, Kellie.

It would introduce financial uncertainty, could deter promoters and would risk further delaying a project that has already been subject to years of political obstruction and, yes, planning pitfalls. Above all, it would single out one sporting body — one community — for conditions that are not applied elsewhere. Casement Park is about more than bricks and mortar. It is about fairness: delivering on commitments and ensuring that the GAA in Ulster and beyond has the same quality of facilities as those in other provinces and as there are for other sports here. For those reasons, I urge Members to reject the motion and allow this vital project to proceed not as a commercial venture to be penalised but as a community asset that will continue to reinvest in grassroots sport and in the future of society.

694 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:51 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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