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£3.6m investment in sporting surfaces
Sport Northern Ireland has announced an investment of £3.6million to improve sports facilities across Northern Ireland. Twenty-five projects will receive funding enabling the development of a range of new, improved and shared sports facilities.
Projects being funded include pitches, floodlighting and indoor specialised sports surfaces which will benefit badminton, basketball, equestrian, football, Gaelic games, judo, hockey, and rugby as well as providing improved indoor facilities for multi sports and fitness sessions.
Sport Northern Ireland Chief Executive, Eamonn McCartan made the investment announcement today (12 February) at Fort Centre, Riding for the Disabled, one of the projects being funded commenting: “As the lead agency for developing sport in Northern Ireland, Sport Northern Ireland is committed to providing opportunities for people to participate in sport. Quality, accessible facilities are essential in encouraging people of all ages and abilities to take part in regular physical activity and sport. This investment today demonstrates Sport Northern Ireland’s commitment to improving and creating new facilities which will help support increased participation and to develop sporting talent”.
Pictured at Fort Centre, Maghera above are: Cain Hamill, rider, Margaret McGurk, Instructor, Eamonn McCartan, Chief Executive Sport Northern Ireland, John McCloskey, Centre manager and Geraldine McGurk, rider.
The Fort centre, in Maghera has been in existence for 30 years providing therapeutic riding facilities solely for disabled people. It has received an award of £79,005 for an upgrade of its indoor arena flooring. John McCloskey, Manager at the centre spoke of the impact the funding will make: “The new surface in the arena means our riders will have a safe, dust free environment to ride on. We are extremely pleased with this funding from Sport Northern Ireland as the new surface will give our many riders years of exercise and enjoyment”.
Some of the other projects included in this investment are: a £245,000 award towards the constructions of a synthetic full size hockey/multi-sports pitch for Belfast Royal Academy, £225,000 towards the construction of a natural turf pitch with floodlighting for St Mary’s GAC, Ahoghill, £152,084 to enable Dergview Football Club to install floodlighting and an award of £124,914 for the upgrade of the existing indoor lighting at Lisburn Racquets Club, the National Badminton Centre. |
