Communities Minister Gordon Lyons 'passionate' to get Grassroots Facilities Programme rolled out

The £9 million fund was announced to improve facilities for grassroots football in Northern Ireland on Wednesday.

Mr Lyons said the pilot stage of the Grassroots Facilities Programme will start to address an urgent need in the sector of almost 600 clubs.

It comes as the next milestone in the Northern Ireland Football Fund.

Funding awards between £500,000 and £1.5 million are up for grabs, with the first awards payable to applicants as early as financial year 2026/2027.

​Mr Lyons made the announcement at Wellington Rec and he told the News Letter how the involvement in sport has immense benefits for people of all ages.

“I helped Wellington Rec with their application for DCMS money long before I was in this post as Communities Minister and it's because I see the value of it,” he said.

"It's because I know that it makes a difference in people's lives and you'll see a few people who are involved with this club and they do a brilliant job and they volunteer and they give of their time and that's really important and I want to encourage that.

"I want to make sure that clubs have the facilities because nothing's lacking in terms of the people that are coming forward that want to play. There's nothing lacking coming from the volunteers and the coaches and everybody else.

"They make such an important difference and the only thing that holds them back right now is the facilities. That's why I'm passionate about getting that done and I'm passionate about sport because I know the difference it can make in people's lives and I know the benefit that it has on their health and well-being.

"With children, it helps with their education as well and it can be diversionary from other things that we might not want them to get involved in. This is not just the government spending money on something that they've seen as nice. This is an investment and that's why it's so important."

Mr Lyons says the funding is just more than the potential of football pitches being installed – but for facilities to cater both boys and girls.

He added: “We've seen a huge growth in grassroots football, in particular women and girls, and obviously that requires facilities.

"Facilities need to be upgraded to cater for everybody that wants to be involved and that's what we're trying to do through this.

"We're trying to make sure that we have those facilities in place because it's not just about the surface people play on. It's about everything else surrounding the game as well including changing facilities, toilets and those things that help make the experience.

"The £500,000 to £1.5 million figure could change after the pilot yes but there are other funds available for smaller amounts under £500,000.

"£1.5 million is getting into a significant sum of money that needs to be capped somewhere so we thought that million pound band would hit most those that would need the support.”