By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA
Ireland has asked to host more Euro 2028 matches after five games due to be staged in Belfast will no longer be played in the city.
Junior minister for sport, Thomas Byrne, said they had asked for any additional matches to be “on a regional basis”, suggesting that they be held outside Dublin.
The UK Government announced last month that it would not be providing funding to rebuild Casement Park in time for the Euros.
The derelict Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) stadium in west Belfast had been due to stage five games in Uefa’s showpiece tournament, which is being jointly hosted by the UK and Ireland in 2028.
The Aviva Stadium in Dublin, the home of Ireland’s international football team, is already set to host six games in the tournament.
After Casement Park was axed as a Euros venue, Irish ministers suggested that the GAA’s flagship stadium at Croke Park in Dublin and Cork’s Pairc Ui Chaoimh could be alternative venues.
Speaking at the Aviva Stadium on Thursday, culture and sports minister Catherine Martin said that she would like to see more of the tournament’s matches held on the island of Ireland.
Asked whether any additional Euros games should be held outside of Dublin, she said: “I think that’s ultimately for the stakeholders themselves to decide. But yes, the more that can be held on a wider spread.
“I always talk about regional tourism as well, and looking at the 250,000 people working in tourism, 70% of them are in the regions.”
Mr Byrne said: “We want more matches, we’ve expressed a view to Uefa, we want them on a regional basis, I’ve spoken about that before.
“Our overarching objective is to have more games on the island. There’s ongoing discussions with partners about that, but it is their decision at the end of the day.”
The ministers were speaking at the Aviva Stadium as they launched Ireland’s national strategy for hosting major international sporting events.
Ms Martin said the framework would help attract “some of the world’s most exciting sporting events” to Ireland.
But both she and Mr Byrne said that each bid to a host sporting event would be weighed up against the possible risks and benefits to the economy and communities in Ireland.
She said: “You have to have every i dotted and t crossed to make sure that when we'd eventually take something to government for approval, that it’s rock solid how we feel the benefit will be there in economic terms.”
Mr Byrne said he did not believe a dedicated agency would be needed to approve hosting a major international sports event.
“There are projects that have been turned down by the government in the past because the economics didn’t add up, and that would be the case into the future as well,” he said.
“Lots of people come with really good ideas for major events, but they have to add up, and you have to see that economic return and there’s an independent process in the department.”
Asked about people who had felt “priced out” of the Ryder Cup to be held in Limerick in 2027, Mr Byrne said: “We have to make sure that the events we’re hosting here are accessible to people.
“We’ve been really working on what the legacy benefits might be in terms of increased participation in golf around the country. How do we activate the Ryder Cup – tourism is so important of course, it’s a massive tourism event, don’t get me wrong, this is huge – but how do we get more Irish people playing golf?”
The ministers said that bids for Ireland to host a regular season game of American football’s National Football League (NFL) and the World Rally Championship are under “active consideration”.
