Northern Ireland v San Marino Official Match Programme

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EW XLIMV FEWI NYWX TVMSV XS GSQTIXMRK EX )YVS MR England. The next major works at the ground involved an I\XIRWMSR XS XLI 7SYXL 7XERH ũ EHHMRK WIEXW – and 400 bucket-type seats replacing the bench seats in the Railway Stand. 8LI I\XIRHIH 7SYXL 7XERH [EW ƤVWX YWIH JSV E Northern Ireland v Albania match in September [LMPI XLI SJƤGMEP STIRMRK XSSO TPEGI EX E Northern Ireland v Spain match the following month. 8LI SXLIV QENSV FYMPHMRK TVSNIGX SJ XLI W [EW the construction of a new Kop Stand. The £2m WIEX WXERH STIRIH MR .YP] [LIR 0MRƤIPH faced Liverpool in a friendly. The new millennium sparked plenty of debate about Windsor Park’s suitability for international football going forward. In 2001 an advisory panel chaired by former Northern Ireland international Billy Hamilton called for the creation of a National Stadium. It echoed a previous recommendation made by a National StadiumWorking Group set up under the auspices SJ XLI 7TSVXW 'SYRGMP MR The Sports Minister at the time, Michael McGimpsey, rejected the national stadium idea on the grounds of cost, however by 2005 the UK Government was warming to the idea but proposed E WIEXIV WXEHMYQ JSV JSSXFEPP +%% ERH VYKF] on the site of the old Maze Prison rather than a pure football stadium. As the debate over a multi-sport stadium at the Maze raged, Windsor Park was starting to show signs of wear and tear. Severe weather damaged part of the roof of the North Stand at Christmas [LMPI MR 1EVGL XLI 6EMP[E] 7XERH [EW barred from future use following a Health and Safety Executive/Fire Authority assessment. Then Sports Minister Gregory Campbell kicked the 1E^I 7XEHMYQ TPER MRXS XSYGL MR WE]MRK MX HMH RSX IRNS] WYJƤGMIRX TSPMXMGEP WYTTSVX ,I TVSTSWIH he would instead help the Irish FA, Ulster Rugby and the GAA to develop solutions to their stadia needs.

New safety requirements kicked in during 2010 and the knock-on effect was a reduced capacity in the South Stand at Windsor Park as well as the provision of temporary seating for international matches. In March 2011 the Northern Ireland Assembly announced a funding package for the redevelopment of Northern Ireland’s three main WTSVXMRK ZIRYIW ERH EVSYRH e Q [EW QEHI available to the Irish FA to upgrade Windsor Park. A Project Manager – Geoff Patterson – was appointed to oversee the stadium project and by early 2012 a design team, featuring architects, engineers, quantity surveyors and so on, was in place. The planning consultation process began in the early part of 2012 and planning approval for the redevelopment of the stadium was granted later that year. 2IKSXMEXMSRW [MXL 0MRƤIPH SZIV XLI PIEWI SJ XLI stadium ran parallel with the planning consultation. Eventually a deal was hammered out. The Irish FA agreed to develop and lease the stadium for 51 years. The start of building work on the project was delayed by a judicial review. It had been due to FIKMR MR 7ITXIQFIV ,S[IZIV XLIVI [EW E successful outcome to the JR which meant building could get under way in May 2014. Everything was going smoothly until March 2015 when a structural failure meant the Kop (West) Stand had to be demolished. The outcome was that the stadium redevelopment project was extended to the creation of three new stands rather than the TVSTSWIH X[S ERH SZIVEPP GSWX VSWI XS e QMPPMSR 2S[ QSRXLW PEXIV ERH [MXL QER] WREKW MVSRIH out along the way, the stadium is fully prepared and ready for action. %GORS[PIHKIQIRX FSSOW F] .SI 'EWWIPPW ERH XLI PEXI (V 1EPGSPQ &VSHMI 1&) [IVI EQSRK XLI VIWIEVGL HSGYQIRXW YWIH MR XLI GSQTMPEXMSR SJ XLMW EVXMGPI 4MGXYVIW F] 4VIWW )]I ERH 4EGIQEOIV

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