First Minister calls for ‘full transparency’ over football club funding

There has been widespread criticism that clubs in the north west were left out.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill has called for “full transparency and fairness” around the allocation of the Northern Ireland Football Fund.

It comes after Communities Minister Gordon Lyons announced his intention to progress the applications of 20 football clubs for a potential share of £36.2 million of funding.

There has been widespread criticism that clubs in the north west were left out. However Mr Lyons defended his decision, and said clubs were selected on strength and not geography.

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Belfast sides Cliftonville and Glentoran are the largest clubs which will go through to the next stage of the assessment, having had bids for works in excess of £6 million progressed.

On Thursday evening, Ms O’Neill called for all parties in the Executive to “come together and work to deliver additional investment for the regional football stadia fund, the redevelopment of Casement Park, and for other sports”.

“There are concerns from many soccer clubs, including Derry City, about their exclusion from today’s announcement by the Communities Minister,” she said.

“There needs to be full transparency and fairness before any final decisions are made. I want to deliver increased investment for sports, including soccer, rugby, boxing, and the GAA.

“I am calling on all parties in the Executive to come together and work to deliver additional investment for the regional football stadia fund, the redevelopment of Casement Park, and for other sports. With collective will, this can be done.”

The funding was initially approved as far back as 2011 by the Executive, and the minister announced on Thursday which clubs were in line for potential funding.

Earlier, Mr Lyons said: “I understand there is going to be disappointment across clubs in Northern Ireland and I do plan to sit down with each of them to take them through the application and also to remind people that this is not the end of the football fund for them.

“There will be opportunities again in the future. It’s important to note that this was not done on a geographical basis.

“I do want to see regional balance when it comes to sporting facilities, but it was done on a scoring mechanism and on the strength of their application – and that’s important to know.

“There has been a good geographical mix, the north west aside. However that has been over the strength of the applications. Geography has not come into that.”

Department for Communities officials will now work with the 20 projects on business case development and carry out detailed checks.

Mr Lyons 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 £36.2 million.”

Dozens of clubs across Northern Ireland applied for tier one, two and three to receive certain levels of funding. Tier one clubs have requested a value of under £1.5 million for improvement to their facilities.

The clubs selected for tier one include Armagh City, Ballymacash Sports Academy, Lisburn Distillery, Queen’s University and Rathfriland Rangers. Clubs who applied for a tier two grant have requested funding for the value £1.5 million to £6 million.

Mr Lyons announced that 13 clubs were selected for this tier. This included Ballinamallard United, Ballymena United, Banbridge Town, Bangor, Carrick Rangers, Dergview, Dungannon Swifts, Glenavon, Larne, Lisburn Rangers, Loughgall, Newry City and Oxford Sunnyside.

Only two Northern Ireland football clubs were selected for tier three grants after applying for the funding to improve their grounds and facilities. The minister announced that Cliftonville and Glentoran were the two clubs in the running for the tier three grants.

Mr Lyons added: “I will be seeking the fair and equitable funding which is due after years of delays during which time capital construction costs have soared.”

SDLP MLA Mark Durkan queried the absence of clubs from the north west area.

He said: “There will be bitter disappointment in Derry and across the north west at the failure to award a single penny to Derry City Football Club from the Northern Ireland Football Fund.

“Institute FC, who are desperately hoping to secure a new home in our city, and Coleraine FC, also in need of funding, were excluded – while most of the money was awarded to clubs in the greater Belfast area.”

He added: “There has been significant progress redeveloping the Brandywell in recent years, but we have been waiting nearly 15 years since the Sub Regional Stadia Programme was first announced, when we were assured Derry City would be one of its beneficiaries.

“While the funding was delayed by political dysfunction and collapse, the SDLP sought commitments that Derry City would be included and were told repeatedly by Sinn Fein ministers this funding was ‘guaranteed’.

“To have the rug pulled out at the last moment is utterly unacceptable. To put it bluntly, this funding process has been an utter farce from start to finish.”

Independent MLA Claire Sugden said the funding announcement was a “setback” for Coleraine FC.

She said: “This is not just about facilities for football. Coleraine FC is part of the fabric of this community. It provides opportunities for young people, supports families, and brings people together.

“To see these plans delayed again is a setback for the club and for everyone who values the role it plays in our community.”

Sinn Fein MLA Colm Gildernew said those which had been included in the funding announcement would “rightly be overjoyed”.

He added: “However, there will be clubs, like Derry City and Coleraine FC, who are deeply frustrated and angered by today’s announcement. The announcement by the Communities Minister must be fully scrutinised to ensure equality, transparency and accountability underpin all decisions.

“Sinn Fein wants to see investment across all sports and communities, including support for the GAA to redevelop Casement Park, which is long overdue.”

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