THE MAZE PROPOSAL

On Thursday, 29 June, Bangor Northern Ireland Supporters Club hosted a presentation by Keith Brown, a representative of the Amalgamation of Northern Ireland Supporters, about the proposal to build a new national stadium at the Maze.

The Amalgamation represents 1600 fans through 40+ Clubs. The majority of members believe there is huge opposition to the Maze stadium and the Amalgamation has started a campaign against the plan which they do not think is best for Northern Ireland

What are the Amalgamation doing about it? Well, they held an EGM to discuss the matter and this led to them conducting a Survey which had 2777 responses from fans who attend games. They also met interested parties and thoroughly researched the proposal. From the information gathered, they produced a paper which indicated that 91.7% rejected the Government proposal and that 86.5% want a stadium in Belfast.

The following are their main concerns :

Keith Brown and Bangor NISC Vice-Chairman Stephen Baillie at the presentation

Over 40 members of the Bangor Club listen intently to the talk on the Maze.

Capacity / Design
- 42500 is far too big for football
- At matches like Azerbaijan, we couldn’t fill Windsor Park
- Not designed for needs of football
- Lose the atmosphere – the “12th man”
- Empty stadium could kill off interest in International football
- Rugby will not use it; GAA has other facilities and as a result football could end up isolated with no fall back position

Location
- Fans don’t want the Maze
- Political decision
- No infrastructure nor amenities
- Goes against planning policy so promised private development may not occur

Transport
- Fans don’t want the Maze
- Political decision
- No infrastructure nor amenities
- Goes against planning policy so promised private development may not occur

Economics
- It does not add up - £85m projected cost with at least a further £30m to be spent on infrastructure
- Stadium should be employed as a magnet for tourism and growth – will not happen at Maze
- Government policy backs urban regeneration
- Edinburgh estimates a major sporting event brings in £13m with an average shop spend of £114 per person
- IFA will have to pay large retainer which may increase dramatically after initial contract expires
- What if crowds stay away? – could drive the IFA into a financial black hole

Lack of Transparency
- SIB will not publish economic or site appraisals
- Information blocked even after a legal request
- Misinformation and ‘spin’ being used instead of evidence and facts
- No other options being considered – closed agenda

Politics
- Contentious site
- Unwanted political baggage entangling sport and politics
- Communities will not necessarily be brought together – they will not be there at the same time
- Labour fought for city centre stadiums in the UK – Wembley, the Millennium, Hampden
- SIB said it was signed off “at the highest level” by all 4 main parties – Nigel Dodds MP and Michael McGimpsey MLA refute this.

Olympic Football / UEFA Cup Final propaganda
- Infrequency of these events make them irrelevant
- Olympic football may not be financially viable
- We cannot qualify to host UEFA Cup
- Red Herrings spun in the press

What the Amalgamation thinks of the proposal . . .

So what are the Options?

Basically there are 4, namely:
1. Stay at Windsor and redevelop
2. The present Maze proposal
3. Multi-sports Stadium in Belfast
4. Purpose built National football stadium in Belfast

And what appears to be the best solution? It appears that the majority of members would accept any of the option, except the Maze proposal. A show of hands at the end of the Pickie Presentation showed that there was no support whatsoever among the Bangor members for the Maze option. It must also be said that, if the Maze was built and Northern Ireland moved there home matches there, the Bangor NISC fans would still attend the matches.

To sum it all up . . .