From Sands to Sanchez: The Making of a National Sports Stadium for Northern Ireland

Abstract

This article examines debates concerning the proposed construction of a ‘national’ stadium for Northern Ireland. In so doing, it considers both the philosophical issues that are central to these debates, not least in relation to Northern Ireland’s contested claim to nationhood, and also some of the technical and legal concerns raised by the project, specifically in terms of questions of ownership and use. In passing, the article also comments of the question of nationality and eligibility within the context of Northern Irish football. It is agued that whilst debates about the need for a new stadium have tended to focus to date on political and conceptual matters, it is likely that, in the foreseeable future, legal, financial and technical difficulties will predominate.