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British Champions Deserve Better
Wasn't the excitement of Wednesday night great? Wasn't the atmosphere fantastic? Did you hear the fans in the stadium, or even on their way to the stadium? I'd have given my right arm to be there. OK, my left arm anyway.
The point is that the stadium could have been easily sold out 3 times over. There was speculation in yesterday's Belfast Telegraph that the win against England could boost plans for the proposed Terror Dome at the Maze, near Lisburn. "The phenomenal interest in last night's match has underlined to some football officials and politicians how more modern sporting facilities are needed here."
That's very true, but that's still no reason to build an out-of-town stadium, we need a Stadium in Belfast. Or do we want a similar experience to Juventus and others...?
Follow up:
"The reward for a place in the Champions League semi-finals is rich indeed but might not be enough in itself to mobilise the Juventus support. So averse are they to the out-of-town stadium of the Alps, to which the club were obliged to relocate after their expensive construction for the 1990 World Cup, that attendances are patchy at best."
Jeff Powell, Daily Mail, 11th April 2005
It's not just the Italians either, both the French and the Americans have realised what a disaster out-of-town stadia can be.
"Out of town stadiums [sic] are generally soulless. The Americans pioneered them in the '80s and are now tearing some of them down and relocating back into cities. SBC Park in San Francisco was redeveloped at approximately 33% greater cost than moving out of the city ...[because the fans and directors thought]… it would rip the heart out of the baseball club.
And what about the Stade de France in the suburbs of St. Denis? Wonderful stadium but hated by sport clubs and fans. Supporters and officials of PSG and Stade Francais have both refused to move there."
Keith Brown, Happy Days Issue 2 (available at Eason's)
Northern Ireland don't have the largest support in the world by a long shot, and no doubt the dedicated will do their best to create an atmosphere no matter where their team plays, but they're likely to have much better luck were the stadium in or near a developed commercial area like, oh I don't know, maybe the Titanic Quarter would have been?
Now picture the England match rerun in the future. We have 2 choices:
1: 3,000 fans come over from England, take a tour around the new Titanic themed museums and attractions, maybe spend some time at the Odyssey or in some of Belfast's numerous bars and restaurants (spending their cash at local businesses) before proceeding to make the short walk back to the Titanic Stadium, witnessing on the way a carnival-like procession of the Green And White Army faithful.
2: 3,000 fans come over from England, take a tour around a museum to terrorists (sure it's ok, it'll be a memorial to loyalists and republicans!) on the doorstep of our new lifeless stadium. Fans spend hours trying to get into the car park due to inadequate transport planning and hours trying to get out again. The fans are so pissed off they head straight home/to their hotel and the away fans return home with the impression that this brave new Northern Ireland we live in (that the stadium is supposed to celebrate) holds bombers and murderers in such a high regard that we spend money giving them a memorial as part of a £55 million 'sporting' complex.
A new stadium would do wonders for the local game but it needs to be well thought out and planned by someone who cares, not by an unaccountable Direct Rule minister who will be pissing off to some other post in a year or two. I want to get away from Windsor Park. First of all I don't like the idea of subsidising Linfield, who actually own the ground. Secondly, I'm aware of concerns some nationalists have about the location. While it's hard to see how they would experience any trouble, I can kind of understand where they're coming from. There is a better alternative and that's at the Titanic Quarter. The land will cost more (than nothing), but it's worth it. That said, if the choice was redevelop Windsor or go to the Maze - Windsor all the way. The Maze is that bad an idea.
I have Freedom of Information requests currently with the Strategic Investment Board, who have tried to sell the Maze as a done deal and as our 'only option' as well as with the OFMDFM who oversee the SIB. However they haven't been too quick at getting back so I'll be sending them a gentle reminder of their obligations over the weekend.
What can you do? First off, find out what your MP is doing about the matter. Write to them and if you haven't signed the petition yet, sign up and support a Stadium For Belfast - for Northern Ireland.