Candidate Sites for Northern Ireland's National Stadium
In April 2008 a report compiled for Belfast City Council identified 5 sites in Belfast that could potentially host a new stadium. These are idenfitied in this map by a blue question mark, with current stadia Windsor Park (Football), Casement Park (GAA) and Ravenhill (Rugby) denoted by green sportsmen.The "City of Belfast Stadium" at Ormeau Park
Ormeau Park, within walking distance of the city centre, currently hosts the O-Zone leisure complex including football pitches and tennis courts. A team of companies from the building industry (architects, surveyors etc) have developed a proposal for a stadium and sports complex there which looks promising.
The SIB claim they rejected the site initially on "planning and transport" grounds, but the backers have put together a website at CityOfBelfastStadium.com
Boucher Road
Information on the Boucher Road playing fields will follow shortly.
Blanchflower Park
Information on the Danny Blanchflower playing fields will follow shortly.
The Maze - AKA The White Elephant
The Maze prison is located roughly at junction 7 of the M1 near Lisburn. As well as a national stadium at the site there are plans for an industrial estate of some description, possibly including a Coca Cola bottling plant which would replace their current Ulster and Ireland operations at Lambeg and Dublin respectively. It would also include an equestrian centre and a "Centre for the Study of Conflict Transformation" made up of some of the old prison buildings. It's our opinion that at least some of these facilities, eg the Coca Cola factory, could easily be built here regardless of where the stadium was built and these extras are only being used to spin the public into support of the Maze site.
Maysfield Leisure Centre
The Maysfield Leisure Centre site is a small 6 acre site, but its backers are confident that it can accommodate a 28,500 seater stadium and car parking. Maysfield has the benefits of a central location and it's also right beside Belfast's Central Station so good transport links are already in place.
The Titanic Quarter
The stadium could be built near the existing Odyssey complex which has restaurants and bars/clubs already on site and a 1,500 capacity car park. It is located just off the end of the M3 and isn't too far from NIR's Central Station. Realistically, it's also the only site in walking distance from the City Centre. Based on this we believe it will be the biggest boost to the local economy out of all the proposed sites. It will also make for a great atmosphere in Belfast on match days.
Note: Neither the SIB or Belfast City Council are still considering Titanic Quarter as a site. This information is here for historic/reference purposes only.
Odyssey Location
The pin on the map shows the Odyssey complex, the stadium would probably be immediately east/north-east of this.
The North Foreshore
The North Foreshore, according to the SIB, has 50 acres (2 and a half times what former Sports Minister Michael McGimpsey stated was needed) available for development and potentially more that could be decontaminated. The site is located just north of Duncrue Industrial Estate off Dargan Road and is a former landfill site, just off the M2 on by Belfast Lough.