Derry City and Coleraine FC seek millions in stadium fund

The Mark Farren Stand at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium at night — Applications to the Northern Ireland Football Fund closed on Friday, and Derry City FC say they have applied for £11.8m, while Coleraine have applied for £10m [Getty Images]

Derry City and Coleraine football clubs have applied for more than £10m each in Stormont funding aimed at improving stadiums in Northern Ireland.

A total of £36.2m is to be distributed, with Derry City seeking £11.8m and Coleraine applying for £10m.

Applications to the Northern Ireland Football Fund closed on Friday, with 41 clubs from both the men's and women's game eligible to apply.

A decision from the Department for Communities (DfC) on the allocation of funds is expected this summer.

Glentoran, Cliftonville, Larne, Ballymena United were among the clubs expected to apply to the fund, which was launched in January by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons.

Both Coleraine and Derry City have defended their applications for a large slice of the £36.2m.

Derry City said their application is to help cover the completion of the Mark Farren stand, "as well as other improvements at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.

Work on a new stand at the Brandywell, which is named after former player Mark Farren, began in 2018 as part of a £7m redevelopment.

However, the second phase of that project has still not been built despite planning permission already being granted.

Coleraine FC said it wants to turn their home 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.

Three levels of grants were available in the application process:

projects with a total cost of up to £1.5m
up to £6m
more than £6m

Although 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.

'It isn't enough'

Tommy Whiteside, the treasurer of Crusaders Football Club said his club had also applied for a 'tier three bid' of at least £6m, adding that he believes that at least eight clubs would be making similar bids.

Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Ulster Programme he said that "teams who compete regularly in Europe need these facilities or they will not be able to play games at home".

Mr Whiteside said the total amount on offer "isn't enough".

"We've put in a strong bid and we will either be successful or we're not.

"But won't it be great to see facilities in Northern Ireland football being invested money in," he said.

"Even if we do miss out we'll be arguing for money in the future."

Henry Ross has thick black hair and is smiling. He is wearing a Coleraine FC football top — Henry Ross became Coleraine FC's new majority owner last year [Pacemaker]

At the end of last year, the Coleraine 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.

'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 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."

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