Communities Minister today announced the first
cohort of clubs to be taken forward under the Northern Ireland
Football Fund Performance Programme.
A total of 20 projects will now proceed to the next stage of
funding assessment.
Speaking at a special live streamed event at H&W Welders
Football Club in Belfast, the Minister said:
“I am pleased to announce the 20
performance club projects proceeding to the next stage of the
process.
“These clubs, big and small, from across Northern
Ireland, have impressed with their plans to improve facilities
for the game and for local communities.”
Department for Communities officials will work closely with the
20 projects on business case development and carry out detailed
due diligence checks.
The Minister added: “Together we are moving forward to
achieve real change for the benefit of players, fans and local
communities. And we are in this for the long haul.
“It is clear that the need and demand at club level
exceeds the current available budget of £36.2million.
“I will be seeking the fair and equitable funding which
is due after years of delays during which time capital
construction costs have soared.”
Paying tribute to all 38 clubs who applied to the Fund, the
Minister said: “I appreciate the hard
work that has gone into all of the proposals by applicants,
supported by fans and players alike.
“I have visited many grounds during my
time as Minister and have seen the level of need
first-hand.
“I know that some will be disappointed today. But this is
not the end of the journey.
“I give my commitment today to stay with you and continue
to seek further funding to meet the evidenced need.”
Announcements on the Grassroots Facilities and National Football
Centre strands of the Fund will be made in the coming months.
The 20 applications to progress to the next stage, in
alphabetical order under each tier of the programme, are:
Tier 1 (project value under £1.5million)
- Armagh City
- Ballymacash Sports Academy
- Lisburn Distillery
- Queen's University
- Rathfriland Rangers
Tier 2 (project value £1.5million to £6million)
- Ballinamallard United
- Ballymena United
- Banbridge Town
- Bangor
- Carrick Rangers
- Dergview
- Dungannon Swifts
- Glenavon
- Larne
- Lisburn Rangers
- Loughgall
- Newry City
- Oxford Sunnyside
Tier 3 (project value more than £6million)
All applicants have been notified of the outcome of their
application. The list of 20 projects selected to proceed to the
next stage is also available at: www.communities-ni.gov.uk/articles/performance-programme
Notes to editors:
- Photo caption: Communities Minister pictured at H&W Welders
FC in Belfast as he announces the first cohort of clubs to be
taken forward under the NI Football Fund Performance Programme.
- Performance Clubs are defined as all current football clubs
which are members of the Northern Ireland Football League or
League of Ireland who play their home matches at a venue located
in Northern Ireland. This definition comprises 41 clubs,
including 47 different teams, playing on 36 separate grounds.
- Projects selected to go forward to the next stage under the
Performance Programme are not guaranteed to have their projects
funded to full completion. Project business cases will be
prepared for approval and to determine final project costs and
awards. Each applicant will now be subject to rigorous due
diligence checks that will require them to meet a number of
financial and legal requirements, as well as an examination of
the feasibility of each project that has been proposed.
- The programme involves a number of stages. The timeline for
completing the stages will be unique to each applicant and will
be determined by each individual project's state of readiness.
