Irish League football clubs move a step closer to gaining share of £36m funding pot
Shortlisted football clubs have moved a step closer to project funding.
The first offers of financial support were issued to clubs on Thursday to help them develop business cases for a share of the £36.2m Northern Ireland Football Fund.
The 20 clubs were announced as having been shortlisted last September.
However, there was some criticism around clubs which had missed out on the pot, and it is understood legal proceedings remain under way.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons wrote to the club projects that are being progressed under the fund's performance programme this week.
Ten clubs have previously received business case funding from the Football Ground Business Case Development Fund (FGBCDF); they will receive up to £10,000 to update their business cases.
They are: Ballymena United, Bangor, Carrick Rangers, Cliftonville, Dungannon Swifts, Glenavon, Glentoran, Larne, Loughgall and Newry City.
The remaining 10 clubs will receive up to £30,000 to develop a new business case from scratch.
Those clubs are Armagh City, Ballinamallard United, Ballymacash Sports Academy, Banbridge Town, Dergview, Lisburn Distillery, Lisburn Rangers, Oxford Sunnyside, Queen's University and Rathfriland Rangers.
Mr Lyons said it is now over to the clubs to finalise their business cases.
"When I announced the cohort of football club projects progressing to the next stage of the Northern Ireland Football Fund, I undertook to support clubs so that projects would move forward as quickly as possible," he said.
"I am delighted that these first offers of support have been made. Clubs have waited long enough for this funding to be made available.
"It's now over to clubs now to develop or finalise their business cases which set out their detailed project proposals, costs and benefits.
"They will be doing that over the next couple of months, and my officials will be on hand to help them."