Communities Minister opens NI Football Fund Programme

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has opened applications to The Northern Ireland Football Fund (TNIFF) Performance Programme, marking the start of a £36.2m footballing facilities improvement programme across Northern Ireland.

Local performance clubs are invited to submit proposals to modernise their grounds and transform the game for players, fans and local communities.

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. A total of 41 clubs, including 47 different teams, playing on 36 separate grounds meet this definition.

Launching the opening of the Performance Programme at Ulster University’s campus in Belfast, Minister Lyons hailed the Fund as a once in a generation investment.

Minister Lyons said: “I am pleased today to open applications to the Fund’s Performance Programme.

“In my first year as Sports Minister, I have visited many of performance club grounds and have been shocked at the dire state of some spectator stands and existing facilities for players. My vision is to improve conditions for players, and to provide safe, accessible, football grounds for supporters.

“I want to ensure the passion for football and the talent we have in Northern Ireland is nurtured and developed. I want to see improved accessibility for under-represented and disadvantaged groups, an inclusive sport open to all ages and abilities.”

The Minister added: “I am determined this is only the beginning. It is my ambition that this is a rolling programme of awards and project delivery over the coming years.

“This will require additional funding in due course and I will be seeking to sustain the Fund with further investment from a range of sources.

“The Fund is an Executive commitment and goes beyond football, benefitting local communities through increased economic activity, providing accessible, high-quality facilities which are welcoming to all and inspiring for players for generations to come.”

The Performance Programme is the first of three strands within The Northern Ireland Football Fund (TNIFF). The other two strands – for Grassroots Facilities and a National Football Centre will be announced later.

All applicants to the Performance Programme will be required to provide partnership funding for their projects, for clubs that will be at least 5% of the total project cost, and councils will be required to fund at least 40% of total costs.

Irish FA President, Conrad Kirkwood, said:

“This is a positive step forward.

“The Northern Ireland Executive's allocation of £36.2 million for modernising our football infrastructure is welcome.

“That said, it is long overdue and falls significantly short of the Department for Communities’ own estimated £200 million required to upgrade performance club grounds, grassroots facilities and establish a National Football Centre for Northern Ireland.

“Modern fit for purpose stadia will drive performance and raise aspirations. Moreover, better facilities generally will benefit football, and the people of Northern Ireland, for generations to come.

“And we, alongside our partners at NIFL, are dedicated to working closely with the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that our game benefits from the UK and Ireland's hosting of the UEFA Euro 2028 tournament.”

NIFL Chief Executive Gerard Lawlor said:

“We welcome today’s announcement with cautious optimism as our member clubs finally can begin an application process for much needed funds. The Irish FA and ourselves together have lobbied long and hard for the past 14 years, so we are pleased to reach this important milestone.

“However, as we have regularly outlined, this current fund will unfortunately have nowhere near the impact as initially intended and, as the Minister himself has stated, much more is needed to have the required impact.

“In the correspondence to not develop Casement Park for Euro 2028, the Secretary of State and UK Sports Minister stated that they ‘remained committed to building a legacy for football across the whole of the UK’. This is their big chance as now is the time to step up and deliver.

“The NI Football Fund requires more money. The Lord Justice Taylor Report was published in 1990 and football in Northern Ireland still hasn’t received its proportion, so we strongly feel that UK Government funding is long overdue. We will continue to lobby and make our case to both the NI Executive and UK Government as the role and impact our member clubs play in their communities and society simply cannot be understated.”