Coleraine FC applies for large slice of £36.2 stadium fund

BBC News

19-03-2025

Coleraine Football Club has applied for more than a quarter of the money available in a new fund aimed at improving stadiums in Northern Ireland.A total of £36.2m is to be shared out, and Coleraine wants £10m of it.Applications to the Northern Ireland Football Fund closed on Friday, with 41 clubs in the men's and women's game eligible to apply.A decision from the Department for Communities on the allocation of money is expected this summer.
Glentoran, Cliftonville, Larne, Ballymena United and Derry City were among the clubs expected to apply to the fund, which was launched in January by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons.Coleraine has defended its application for a large slice of the £36.2m, saying it wants to turn its ground, The Showgrounds, into a "state-of-the-art footballing hub for the North West".A spokesperson for the club told BBC News NI: "Without this redevelopment, Coleraine FC could be without a home ground within the next five to 10 years."The club's board has worked tirelessly to ensure that the North West Regional Stadium project is fully shovel-ready, positioning it for swift implementation upon securing funding."While many clubs have been reluctant to say exactly how much money they are seeking, Coleraine's decision to go public may lead to more bids becoming known.
At the end of last year, the club announced that a 24-year-old local property developer Henry Ross had become the club's new majority owner following a "significant investment".In order to be granted money, clubs must demonstrate they will contribute at least 5% of the total project costs.For council-owned grounds this rises to 40%.Last week, a proposal offering Derry City a long-term lease of their home ground to help them proceed with a multimillion-pound bid for funding was approved by councillors.
Three levels of grants were available in the application process:projects with a total cost of up to £1.5mup to £6mmore than £6mAlthough the total amount in the fund is £36.2m, some of that money may be distributed separately, to grassroots football and a proposed new national training centre.The Northern Ireland Football Fund dates back to 2011, when it was called the Sub-Regional Stadia Programme.
'Only a beginning'
When it was launched in January, Lyons admitted much more money than the existing £36.2m was needed but insisted the new fund was "only a beginning".An estimated £200m is required to bring facilities in Northern Ireland up to the necessary standard.The 41 clubs eligible to apply are all members of the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) or League of Ireland, and play their home matches at a venue located in Northern Ireland.Although applications closed at 17:00 on Friday, the Department for Communities has yet to reveal how many bids were received.A spokesperson said: "Applications are currently being reviewed before details are confirmed."