NIFL planning Westminster trip as Gerard Lawlor lays out clear 'our club's won't be forgotten' message
Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) CEO Gerard Lawlor has revealed plans to host an event at Westminster later this year to further promote the Irish League’s message and “not to allow our clubs to be forgotten about”.
On Monday, NIFL staged ‘More Than The Game’ at Stormont with club representatives and politicians present to hear about the positive social impact being delivered by the Irish League.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons was a guest speaker and talked about the importance of delivering the NI Football Fund – a £36.2million budget assigned to improving football infrastructure across Northern Ireland which was first promised to clubs in 2011.
Lawlor is determined to continue growing the Irish League’s profile and their planned trip to London in May will be with a view to championing the potential of football on these shores.
"This is hopefully the first of many of these events,” said Lawlor. “The next one we plan to do in May is actually in Westminster, so that's our next roadshow.
"It's still in the very early planning stages, but we're going to tie it into an investment event we hope to have in London in May.
"It’ll be something very similar, bringing the Northern Ireland message and the message of the clubs to Westminster and selling it to our MPs, the government and DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport).
"So it's a continued journey to show and evidence the need that we have here in Northern Ireland and not to allow our clubs to be forgotten about.
"Today was about involvement. We had leaders of SDLP, of the DUP, and the clubs engaged.
"It's important for them to be able to tell their own story, and we just thought today, rather than trying to get busy MLAs out to clubs, why not come to the MLAs?
"A number of the MLAs have commented that it's been one of the busiest events that they have seen here for MLAs, so I’m really pleased with it.”
NIFL also hosted a panel discussion highlighting the positive work being carried out by Irish League clubs with the likes of Glentoran chairman Colin Jess and Cliftonville’s Head of Youth Development Marc Smyth involved.
Delivery of the NI Football Fund will be crucial to allowing clubs to continue – and expand – current initiatives, and Lawlor hopes the message landed with politicians in attendance.
"We heard some amazing stories today about the work that's ongoing within our clubs,” he added. “Some of that work is actually at threat because facilities are at breaking point and the resources within those facilities aren't available.
"There's two elements – wanting to grow them and develop them more and being able to do more, but also just keeping the facilities that we have and the programmes we have going.
"Look, like the health service, like everything else, the money can't come quick enough.
"Hopefully people will take the message away today and they will not just be nodding heads, they will agree with us and they'll go away and redouble their efforts to try and get us some funding.”