DUP rejects 'sectarianism' claim in row over football pitch plans

​A proposal at the March meeting of Belfast City Council saw an unsuccessful bid by the DUP to reject a decision to apply to the Football Fund in support of Newington Football Club using Ballysillan Playing Fields, a council owned space, as its home ground.

This would mean Newington would be sharing the facility alongside Ballysillan Swifts, who are the grassroots home club in the area. The two teams are regarded as having support from different communities.

At the full council last month 42 councillors voted in favour of Newington using Ballysillan Playing Fields while 17 voted against. Councillors who voted in favour were from Sinn Féin, the Alliance Party, the SDLP, the Green Party, and People Before Profit, while those who voted against were from the DUP, the UUP and TUV.

Work will shortly begin to upgrade Ballysillan Playing Fields, with potential for a new stadium, as part of a £9 million investment under the Stormont Urban Villages programme.

The DUP say the Urban Villages plan is about investing in Ballysillan and Ardoyne, and claim Newington is outside that area of influence. Ballysillan Swifts had been involved in meetings, consultations and site visits since 2017 as part of the Urban Villages plan.

To put a halt to all the council decisions so far on the matter being ratified at the March meeting of the full council, DUP Councillor Jordan Doran forwarded an amendment stating all decisions “be deferred to enable the council to receive a definitive answer from Urban Villages as to whether it was permissible to ‘flip’ an event space and for council officers to bring back a report on all options for Newington in North Belfast.”

The DUP amendment was lost, by 15 votes from Unionist parties to 37 votes from the rest of the chamber.

Councillor Doran said at the meeting: “I was once again shocked to see a proposal come through council that is so detrimental to the people of Ballysillan. I was not shocked however that some people in other parties branded our opposition to this as sectarian.

“They should not judge us by their own standards, this is not a sectarian issue, but a question of equality.

“The primary purpose of this project is to support the people of Ballysillan. The cross-community work was done, it was a co-produced project between Ardoyne and Ballysillan. Ardoyne was delivered unaltered. All the people of Ballysillan are asking for is equality.”

Sinn Féin Councillor Conor Maskey said: “I am bemused as to why we are here. The two pillars that I see as fundamental to the success of the original proposal are based around the best use of our public space, and for the needs of football in North Belfast.

“A statement from Ballysillan football was very clear, that what they were looking for was a home space for their first team and second team. In fairness to the people working on this, especially the (council) officers, they saw an opportunity where we could re-jig, and have Newington at that standard, the old second division if you like, with a stadium to suit.

“So the original business case is actually being enhanced by the football stadium offering, and then another space used by Ballysillan Swifts to get their first and second teams on.

“If people are getting what they wanted, and now that is not good enough, I genuinely feel that is only because of where Newington Football Club comes from. We will never have any public space of this council owned by one community – that is not how we go about things.”

Alliance Councillor Sam Nelson said: “There are false narratives being put out there. I think the public can make their own mind up, when they see what is happening here. What we have stated clearly is that we have a pitch shortage, and an opportunity to share a pitch.

“Every bit of opposition to that pitch sharing is being put forward at every single opportunity. What we are asking is for two teams that come from different parts of the community to come together to share our facilities, and also to attract what investment we can to those facilities.