Capacity & Stadium Design
" "…given the requirements of the GAA because of a bigger-sized pitch, what you could effectively say with this new stadium is that it is GAA-designed and it will also accommodate soccer and rugby (sic.)."(1)
Tony Whitehead, SIB(2)

 Clearly, the stadium is not being designed to meet the needs of football. Northern Ireland will not fill a 42,500-seat stadium except on the rarest of occasions. The SIB remit was “to provide an operationally viable Multi-Sports Stadium of International standard, meeting the needs of Association Football, Gaelic Football and Rugby Football…” – at present we are merely being ‘accommodated’ in a stadium planned for Gaelic football and music concerts.

Why is such a large capacity being proposed when it is so unrealistic for football?

Angela Smith MP announced in May 2004 that a 30,000-seat stadium was operationally viable.(3) This study, carried out by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) “proved that stadium could be designed to fit 3 sports and that financial viability could be achieved provided all three key sports commit (sic.)”. (4) This proposal was to cost £55million. The increase of 12,500 seats will cost the taxpayer an additional £30million yet only meets the “needs” of one of the three sports.

Mr. Whitehead admitted at our meetings that the GAA had effectively driven the increased capacity from 30,000 to 42,500. With support from all three sports needed and the GAA uninterested in a 30,000 capacity, it was necessary for the SIB to revise the capacity upwards. A GAA spokesman had hinted at this in September 2005 when he noted that the new proposals were “more in line with what the GAA would be interested in”.(5)

What is the problem with 42,500 capacity?

This could have a disastrous effect on atmosphere. The SIB has stated that this would be solved by screening the top tiers of the stadium off for football matches. When questioned by supporters at the aforementioned presentations, Mr. Whitehead was unable to provide a working example. He attempted to say that the Estadio Dragao in Porto was screened off in such a way. As many at the meeting had been to the Dragao, they were able to point out that these were not screens but merely mesh over seats to keep birds out. With no other working example, it is hard to believe that this would be a genuine solution. This would create a huge loss in atmosphere – the famous ‘12 th man’ that we have at the moment. Luminaries such as David Beckham and Lawrie Sanchez have acknowledged this, noting that it contributes to recent excellent results.

And it’s that atmosphere which helps bring fans to the ground – the ‘Green & White Army’ gives games a vibrant, fun, friendly, carnival event atmosphere. Football for All and the Amalgamation have helped to eradicate the remnants of sectarianism and transform our matches into moments for Northern Ireland to be proud of. With non-stop noise and singing, the game against England was a showcase of how far we have come. This has had a knock-on effect – families are returning, a Junior Supporters’ Club has been launched and there is a real feel good factor.

To move to a stadium where all this would be lost amongst 30,000 empty seats would be a terrible disaster. Combined with transport difficulties, higher admission costs and expensive concession stands, after the initial upsurge any new ground might bring attendances could suffer dramatically. Even the English Premiership is suffering from falling attendances despite having some of the best teams and players in the world on display.(6)

‘Build it and they will come’
Mr. Whitehead cited the examples of Bolton, Hull and Leicester as examples of how crowds grew when moved to larger stadiums – notably these clubs moved to stadiums of 32,000 and less from initial fan bases similar to our own. Also notable, is that none of these stadiums is sold out except on rare occasions.

Initially crowd sizes will swell as is the norm with new facilities - i t is a well-known factor in new stadiums. Crowds are enticed by new amenities, but generally teams find it hard to retain these ‘new’ fans. The Belfast Giants play to a fraction of their initial crowds yet they are housed in top class facilities with top class amenities and display a top class product. Aspiration and ambition can be no substitute for realism.

Northern Ireland will not always get a top class draw like we had for our last campaign. Coupled with the inevitability of fluctuating success on the pitch and the atmosphere lost amongst the empty seats, ‘new’ fans may find the novelty wears off very quickly and - as in the case of the Giants - only the hardcore support will be left.

But the Government must think it is possible for football to fill the stadium?
Not at all.

A DCAL survey in 2004 (7) stated that “regular fans represented 3% of the general population of NI”. This is approximately 51,000 people. 41% of these fans had never attended ‘international soccer’ (approximately 21,000). Of the remaining 30,000, this included 7% who said they did not support Northern Ireland but supported others including the Republic of Ireland and England. At the meetings with us, the SIB endorsed this report by admitting that they did not perceive our possible attendances to be higher than 27,000.

When they visited the divisional football associations to convince them of the proposal’s merits, the SIB a ctually forecast crowds of only 10-15,000 for Northern Ireland internationals! More disturbing were some of their estimates for local cup finals on which the business plan is based. They also suggested that other games such as European club matches could be played at a new stadium and that a new pre-season tournament could attract 20,000 spectators!

Match	SIB forecasted average attendance (8)	Actual average attendance over last 10 years (9)
Irish Cup Final	14,500	9,209
League Cup Final	7,000	4,491
County Antrim Shield	7,000	3,109
European matches	Unknown	2,392

Even if accepting a rise in average attendances, these can be accommodated in current stadiums within Northern Ireland – these do not need to be part of a 42,500-seat stadium.

Does Ulster GAA really want such a large stadium?

The Monaghan County GAA Board has announced a €12million plan to upgrade Clones to 50,000 capacity. Chairman John Connolly is aiming to bring the Ulster Final back to St Tiernach’s Park saying “there is no question people in Clones thought they would never see the Ulster final leaving Clones”. (10)

Having a stadium of such a size makes even 42,500 at the Maze questionable. As the GAA do not pay VAT on gate receipts in the Republic of Ireland, it would take a stadium of 60,000 in Northern Ireland to bring in the same revenue. How committed are Ulster GAA to this project? Casement can handle 27,000 spectators for smaller games and the magnificent Croke Park can hold 80,000 for the very largest. An upgraded Clones will fill the gap in between. Will the IFA be left in a two-thirds empty stadium once Clones is upgraded?

Can the three sports really fit in one stadium?

Pitch size is also a major concern – the report by Davis Langdon & Everest (11) for the SIB revealed that an average GAA pitch is 22m wider and 37m longer than a football pitch. This will harm the footballing atmosphere significantly. As a small nation, the “12 th man” can be a positive effect on the team and not something we wish to lose.

We have no objections to sharing with any sport unless it is detrimental to the footballing experience – this needs examined closely.

(1) www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3726165.stm

(2) Tony Whitehead is the head of the SIB team charged with delivering the stadium. As well as many statements in the press, he delivered the three presentations to Amalgamation in November 2005.

(3) www.nics.gov.uk/press/cal/040524c-cal.htm

(4) Multi-Sports Stadium in Northern Ireland, Summary Report – October 2005, Tony Whitehead.

(5) Belfast Telegraph, 22/9/05

(6) http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/4269144.stm

(7) The Fans Perspective: Summary findings of Independent Research on the Views And Experiences of Soccer Fans in NI, 2004

(8) Multi-Sports Stadium in Northern Ireland, Summary Report – October 2005, Tony Whitehead.

(9) Irish Cup Final - Rothmans Football Yearbooks (now Sky Sports Football Yearbooks); League Cup Final, County Antrim Shield, Euro Matches - Northern Ireland Football Yearbooks

(10) www.hoganstand.ie

(11) Northern Ireland Sports Stadium; Overall Configurations And Pitch Considerations, Feb 2004