Gordon Lyons claims NI Football Fund 'has lost about half of its value' due to 'absolutely shameful' delay
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has rejected a claim that the Northern Ireland Football Fund’s scoring criteria was changed after applications were launched – and also believes the pot for Irish League clubs “has lost about half of its value” due to being delayed 14 years.
Football clubs in Northern Ireland were first promised money to improve infrastructure in 2011 through what was then called the Sub-Regional Stadia Programme, but the £36.2million has never been delivered.
However, Lyons confirmed in an event in Belfast last week that projects with a combined cost of £82million from 20 clubs have progressed to the next stage of the NI Football Fund, now undergoing due diligence checks.
While the likes of Cliftonville and Glentoran were the big winners with the Premiership pair sealing success in Tier Three (projects valued at over £6million), a number of clubs were left frustrated after missing out.
Some suggested their bids had scored higher than others progressing to the next stage and that the Football Fund goalposts had been moved when it came to scoring, but Lyons dismissed that claim.
"Absolutely not,” he said. “Nothing has changed since the launch of applications on the 30th of January 2025.
"The scoring matrix and the guidance notes are still available for anyone who wishes to see exactly what the criteria was for applicants and how their applications would be scored."
Lyons has previously stated his belief that funding can have a “transformational impact” on the Irish League, but feels it could have been even more significant if finances had been delivered when first promised.
"It’s hard to quantify because it would depend exactly on the sum, however, if you look at estimates based on construction and inflation over the last 14 years, I believe the fund has lost probably about half of its value over the last 14 years - that's absolutely shameful,” he added. “Think of how many more projects we'd have been able to take forward if that had not been the case, but more than that, think of the projects that would already be in place and the benefits they'd already be delivering in their communities.
"This has been held up for 14 years...in 14 months I have taken this further forward that it has been at any stage in the last 14 years. Think of what we'd have been able to do if this was in place since 2011."