Casement Park: Chris Heaton-Harris confident new park will be built

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris has said he is confident the proposed new Casement Park stadium in west Belfast will be built.

The redeveloped stadium will cost at least £110m, with a 34,500 capacity.

It has been included in a bid by the UK and Ireland to host the 2028 European Football Championship.

It will be used primarily for GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) games as well as other sports and concerts.

In an interview with BBC News NI, Mr Heaton-Harris indicated the government is prepared to consider making a financial contribution to the project, if the Euros bid is successful.

The initial estimated cost of the stadium was £77m, with most of it coming from the Stormont executive, but that was almost a decade ago.

The cost may since have doubled but Mr Heaton-Harris believes funding can be secured.

"We'll get the money, don't you worry," he said.

Asked who would provide the money, he replied: "All partners. I guarantee it."

When asked if this included central government in London, he said: "I'm quite sure the UK government wants to help. But we will work with all partners to deliver the Casement Park stadium."

Asked how much money the UK government was willing to contribute, he said: "I don't actually know how much the whole thing is going to cost. We've seen different estimates. But let's win the bid first.

"Once we win the bid, we'll sit down round a table and the money will get sorted out."

A decision on who will host the 2028 Euro finals is expected to be made by Uefa's executive committee in September.

Dublin's Aviva Stadium was also included in the final list of 10 grounds in the UK/Ireland application.

Glasgow's Hampden Park, Cardiff's Principality Stadium and Wembley in London are on the list too.

The funding of the Casement Park stadium is complicated by the fact that the Northern Ireland Executive at Stormont is currently not functioning.

The GAA agreed to pay £15m towards the initial cost of the stadium, saying it was their maximum contribution.

In spite of the ongoing financial and political difficulties, Mr Heaton-Harris remains upbeat about the chances of the west Belfast redevelopment going ahead.

Mr Heaton-Harris said: "I've seen from London 2012 (Olympics) what having a big stadium built in a locality can do to change the environment and the positive legacy you get from that, and I think that would be brilliant for Northern Ireland.

"It is a vital part of the bid to have games across the four nations of the United Kingdom, and in Ireland as well. And it is a really, really strong bid. We're bidding against strong opponents in Turkey, and everybody wants it to work."

The secretary of state was speaking in south Antrim as he announced a total of £600,000 of funding for 28 local sports facilities in Northern Ireland, in conjunction with the Irish Football Association (IFA).

Among the clubs to benefit are Crewe United in south Antrim, Enniskillen Rangers FC, Magherafelt Sky Blues FC and Springfield Star FC in Belfast.

The money is from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and will go towards improving changing facilities, accessibility, goalposts and pitches.

Patrick Nelson, chief executive of the IFA, said: "We are delighted to work with the UK government to help local clubs provide the facilities needed to increase access to the wide-ranging benefits of grassroots football participation for previously under-represented groups and everyone in our community."

Mr Heaton-Harris is a qualified football referee and took charge of a youth game at Crewe United as details of the latest funding were announced.