NI Football Fund | Big clubs miss out as Cliftonville and Glentoran to receive most among 20 clubs named

Despite both going through significant development to their respective home grounds, neither were among the 20 clubs listed by Lyons to receive grant funding as part of the £36.2million fund set aside by the NI Executive.

Cliftonville and Glentoran were the big winners as they were the only two clubs listed in Tier Three, which means they will receive more than £6million each for respective projects to Solitude and BetMcLean Oval respectively.

Also missing out were Ards and Institute, who have both stated their intention to build new stadiums of their own to end ground-sharing agreements with Bangor and Derry City respectively, while Crusaders and Portadown were the other Sports Direct Premiership teams to miss out, as were Linfield who did not apply.

In total, five clubs were allocated into Tier One and will receive less than £1.5million, 13 clubs will receive between £1.5million and £6million after being placed in Tier Two and Cliftonville and Glentoran made up Tier Three.

It has not been revealed exactly how much teams have received and it is worth noting that even though clubs have moved to the next stage of the process, they are not guaranteed to receive the full amount they have been allocated as further checks could determine that projects are unsuitable.

In total, 38 clubs provided 37 applications – two teams submitted one joint application – totalling just under £164million, with bids ranging from around £700,000 to around £28million.

Clubs have now received formal notice of the outcome of their applications, with the next stage of the process being described as ‘Due Diligence’ where officials will assess each application to determine if they will require the full amount they have been allocated.

"These clubs, big and small, from across Northern Ireland have impressed with their plans to improve facilities for the game and for local communities,” commented Lyons.

"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.

"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.”

Future announcements will be made on which clubs have been successful in achieving funding under the Grassroots Facilities strand, as well as how much will be set aside for the development of the National Football Centre in Galgorm.

Successful NI Football Fund applicants

Tier 1 (Less than £1.5m)

Armagh City, Ballymacash Sports Academy, Lisburn Distillery, Queen's University, Rathfriland Rangers

Tier 2 (Between £1.5m and £6m)

Ballinamallard United, Ballymena United, Banbridge Town, Bangor, Carrick Rangers, Dergview, Dungannon Swifts, Glenavon, Larne, Lisburn Rangers, Loughgall, Newry City, Oxford Sunnyside

Tier 3 (More than £6m)

Cliftonville, Glentoran

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