The Pitch: Páirc Uí Chaoimh might be a long shot for Euro 2028 bid but if you're not in...

With the redevelopment of Casement Park spiralling to a reported cost of more than £308m — from an initial £77.5m estimate — Uefa has accepted that the stadium is not going to be ready in time, if indeed ever, under its current scale.

With no venue within the six counties meeting the criteria for a European Championship finals — Windsor Park’s 18,500 capacity is below the 30,000 required by Uefa — the focus will soon turn on where those four games go now.

This presents a compelling case that the island of Ireland should retain those games that would have gone to the North, a move that now requires major political and governmental pressure.

While Cork GAA and stadium executives say they are behind the Casement Park project, both have confirmed that they are preparing a bid which will propose Páirc Uí Chaoimh to step in as an alternative venue.

Cork GAA CEO Kevin O’Donovan and stadium director Sinéad O’Keeffe have forwarded a compelling case as to why the Leeside venue should pick up those games.

“We would say first of all that we are fully supportive of Casement Park, fully supportive,” begins O’Donovan. “But if there is to be a backup venue, we would propose that it should be us, that these games should take place in SuperValu Páirc Úi Chaoimh.

“We are taking appropriate steps so that we should be considered to take these games, should Belfast miss out, and we believe that these games be kept on the island of Ireland.”

The stadium has been extremely proactive in showcasing itself as a venue for major events in recent times, and indeed next week will host its first senior international football match when the Republic of Ireland women’s side takes on France in a Euro 2025 qualifier in Cork.

O’Keeffe said that even though the men’s Euros is still four years away, the fear is that that the stadium may be too late to be considered for 2028, and that Uefa may be tempted to give these games to English stadia.

“I believe that we are probably too late but we have to put ourselves forward for what would be an incredible opportunity,” admitted O’Keeffe, who is also Cork GAA’s commercial director.

“I believe Uefa has looked at other stadia in England as back-up, and we may well be behind the curve at this stage.”

The pair are however determined that for Cork to be considered as a replacement venue, such a move will require political support to get the application process with Uefa moving.

“This ultimately will come down to politics, but it is vital to be seen to be proactive, because if we don’t get the Euros, then maybe we get considered for something else,” adds O’Donovan.

One key issue Páirc Uí Chaoimh must overcome is political intransigence both across the two county and city councils, but also at Government and Oireachtas level, not just for the Euros but to get more major events to Cork and outside of Dublin.

Ireland’s historic Euro 2025 women’s qualifier against France next week comes on the back of another significant non-GAA event to take place at the stadium, with the Munster v Crusaders ‘Clash of Champions’ fixture taking place last February.

The stadium is currently planning another opportunity, as the homecoming venue for Cork’s senior hurlers — win or lose — following the
All-Ireland Hurling final on July 21, with a reception set for July 22.

We revealed in March that the Munster v Crusaders match saw almost €6m returning to the local economy through direct expenditure and economic impact from the game.

The findings, which were commissioned by Munster’s energy partners, Pinergy, found that direct expenditure by ‘locals’ — from within the city and county of Cork — was €2.9m, while further investment came through income of €2.7m from visitor (outside Cork) exchanges.

The €5.6m on the table from that game, does not include money spent on match tickets or food and beverages at the stadium, demonstrating in even the most basic terms how much value single events hold for the area.

“The city is missing out,” continues O’Donovan. “I look at the amount of adverts and promotions that come into my inbox advertising concerts in Dublin all the time and yes we get lots of good things in Cork like Live at the Marquee, but not on the same scale and that must change.”

The issue of a lack of political motivation to put Cork on the map is all the more remarkable, given the seeming intransigence of city and country councils, and a host of senior Government representatives.

The closest politicians came to enthusiastically and publicly promoting Cork was in 2022 through Simon Coveney’s central role in pushing the city to get this year’s America’s Cup.

While that attempt failed the momentum was with public representatives to push harder, make more noise, and demand more sporting occasions for Cork, as well as concerts and other significant events.

“I see this in two parts,” explains O’Keeffe. “Number one, we have the fans who want to attend these matches — which we’ve seen through heavily supported rugby matches — making Cork a compelling destination to bring in more events, concerts, GAA matches, to a venue where you have a community willing to play its part.

“Then there is the infrastructural capabilities, through rail, bus and airport to bring in fans from outside, and sometimes we don’t shout about that enough, and of course our fantastic stadium.”

The hosting of next week’s Ireland match will push these capabilities even more to the fore, and internationally, with the game screened live through Uefa’s rights partners here and in France.

Páirc Uí Chaoimh has cross-shared much of the marketing around the game, and the hope, if not expectation, is that the match will attract a limited capacity of 20,000 fans.

This attendance limit is down by a third due to terraces being banned by Uefa, however, if it were to get the Euros, temporary modular seating would be constructed for the duration of the competition in four years.

At the moment Cork GAA and Páirc Uí Chaoimh see the Euros coming to Cork as a long shot, or “around 10-1” for now, but with the political will and with greater enthusiasm from city and county, those odds could tumble.

This writer is well aware (from working on Uefa Euro 2016 and 2020 projects) that politics is key here, but so too will be convincing England.

Uefa fears the FA due to the power and wealth it achieves through the English Premier League, but if the Irish Government steps forward with a Cork bid, that would still represent a game-changer.

Anyway, what’s the worst that could happen? Cork doesn’t get Euro 2028 — but due to the buzz such a bid has created it certainly pushes itself further up the list when other significant football and other sporting events are being considered for Ireland.

Now it’s up to political will and determination, and with an election around the corner, that may just be the push that’s needed for Páirc Uí Chaoimh to be presented as a viable and compelling option for Euro 2028.