11/09/2014

£15m Investment For Sports Pitches

Belfast City Council has announced £15m is to be invested in improving sports pitches across the city.

The money will be used to improve playing surfaces, encourage a great use of the facilities and increase excellence in a number of sports.

The announcement is part of the local authority's wider £150m city investment programme.

It is understood Belfast City Council will provide £14.1m of funding, while the GAA is contributing £1m. Six schools will receive £750,000 to install floodlighting and all-weather pitches, while five new 3G pitches plus eight new changing facilities will be developed at a further 10 sports sites across Belfast.

Welcoming the announcement, Belfast Lord Mayor Nichola Mallon said: "There's no doubt we punch above our weight when it comes to sporting success, but continued success requires strong grassroots investment.

"Today's partnership investment with the GAA underlines our commitment towards improving provision at a local level to encourage more people to take up sport and boost the possibility of even more success in the future."

Paraic Duffy, Director General of the GAA, added: "This will provide new multi-sport pitches that will be suitable for both training and the playing of Gaelic games.

"We warmly welcome this, along with the commitment from Belfast City Council to partner with the GAA in developing new programmes in the future."

(JP/CD)

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