Date published:
11 September 2025
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons today announced the first cohort of clubs to be taken forward under the Northern Ireland Football Fund Performance Programme.
A total of 20 projects will now proceed to the next stage of funding assessment.
Speaking at a special live streamed event at H&W Welders Football Club in Belfast, the Minister said:
“I am pleased to announce the 20 performance club projects proceeding to the next stage of the process.
“These clubs, big and small, from across Northern Ireland, have impressed with their plans to improve facilities for the game and for local communities.”
Department for Communities officials will work closely with the 20 projects on business case development and carry out detailed due diligence checks.
The Minister added:
“Together we are moving forward to achieve real change for the benefit of players, fans and local communities. And we are in this for the long haul.
“It is clear that the need and demand at club level exceeds the current available budget of £36.2million.
“I will be seeking the fair and equitable funding which is due after years of delays during which time capital construction costs have soared.”
Paying tribute to all 38 clubs who applied to the Fund, the Minister said:
“I appreciate the hard work that has gone into all of the proposals by applicants, supported by fans and players alike.
“I have visited many grounds during my time as Minister and have seen the level of need first-hand.
“I know that some will be disappointed today. But this is not the end of the journey.
“I give my commitment today to stay with you and continue to seek further funding to meet the evidenced need.”
Announcements on the Grassroots Facilities and National Football Centre strands of the Fund will be made in the coming months.
The 20 applications to progress to the next stage, in alphabetical order under each tier of the programme, are:
Tier 1 (project value under £1.5m)
- Armagh City
- Ballymacash Sports Academy
- Lisburn Distillery
- Queen’s University
- Rathfriland Rangers
Tier 2 (project value £1.5m to £6m)
- Ballinamallard United
- Ballymena United
- Banbridge Town
- Bangor
- Carrick Rangers
- Dergview
- Dungannon Swifts
- Glenavon
- Larne
- Lisburn Rangers
- Loughgall
- Newry City
- Oxford Sunnyside
Tier 3 (project value more than £6m)
All applicants have been notified of the outcome of their application. The list of 20 projects selected to proceed to the next stage is also available at: The Performance Programme
Notes to editors:
- Photo caption: Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured at H&W Welders FC in Belfast as he announces the first cohort of clubs to be taken forward under the NI Football Fund Performance Programme.
- Performance Clubs are defined as all current football clubs which are members of the Northern Ireland Football League or League of Ireland who play their home matches at a venue located in Northern Ireland. This definition comprises 41 clubs, including 47 different teams, playing on 36 separate grounds.
- Projects selected to go forward to the next stage under the Performance Programme are not guaranteed to have their projects funded to full completion. Project business cases will be prepared for approval and to determine final project costs and awards. Each applicant will now be subject to rigorous due diligence checks that will require them to meet a number of financial and legal requirements, as well as an examination of the feasibility of each project that has been proposed.
- The programme involves a number of stages. The timeline for completing the stages will be unique to each applicant and will be determined by each individual project’s state of readiness.
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