Irish Football Association to build new Windsor Park West Stand
Friday 6 November 2015 20:02, UK
The Irish Football Association (IFA) has now announced a new stand will be built at Windsor Park in place of one demolished over safety concerns.
The West Stand was bulldozed earlier this year after huge cracks developed in the structure.
The rest of Belfast's Windsor Park had been undergoing a government-funded redevelopment at the time but the West Stand, then the stadium's most modern, was not part of the rebuild plans, and was only due to be refurbished.
While the new state-of-the-art facilities have been built on two other sides of the ground, the west end has been left empty since the demolition.
The news comes on the back of the Northern Ireland team qualifying for the European Championship for the first time.
The reconstructed stand, which will have capacity for 3,400 fans, will be open in time for the 2018 World Cup qualifying game against San Marino on October 10, 2016 and will bring the ground capacity's up to 18,000.
When complete, it will be the envy of many other Associations around the world
The costs for rebuilding the stand will be met by an insurance payout - meaning there will be no significant impact on the overall redevelopment budget.
IFA chief executive Patrick Nelson said: "I am delighted that work on the rebuilding of the West Stand will start in the coming weeks.
"The newly reconstructed stand will be in line with the new South and East Stands and will be even better than what was there before. With improved sightlines, more comfort for fans and one viewing platform, the new stand will only add to the noise and the legendary atmosphere at that end of the ground.
"As we have seen in recent weeks, the new National Football Stadium is already a fantastic sporting arena. When complete, it will be the envy of many other Associations around the world and will be a modern, state-of-the-art home for football in Northern Ireland."
Stormont Sports Minister Caral Ni Chuilin welcomed the announcement.
"I welcome the news that agreement has been reached which will allow for the West Stand to be reinstated in its entirety," she said.
"This will be funded through insurance and, as I have stated consistently, there will be no cost to the public purse. I understand that work will commence on the stand within weeks.
"The planned works taking place elsewhere in the ground are nearing completion and when the West Stand is completed next autumn local football will be showcasing a modern 18,000 all-seater stadium. This is further good news in what has been a wonderful year to date for the IFA."
