Thirty sports clubs in Derry and Strabane benefit from £60k maintenance funding

Thirty sports clubs in Derry and Strabane are to benefit from £60k maintenance funding

Derry City and Strabane District Council have proposed a £60,000 Sports Committee Club Maintenance Programme, which will benefit over 30 sports clubs.

The proposal was made by Sperrin Sinn Féin Councillor Paul Boggs at a meeting of the ealth and Community Committee on October 12.

The programme was one of the recommendations of a Playing Pitch Strategy and was recommended by the Sports Committee in July.

Thirty one sports organisations will receive funding of up to £2,000, following an application process in the Summer.

The funds will be available from a one-off budget held in reserves, and recipients include Ardmore Cricket Club, Newbuildings United FC and Urney St Columba's GAC.

“Across society there’s a cost of living crisis and that’s impacting our sports clubs and plans they’d like to develop,” said Colr. Boggs. “The funding is going to be a massive benefit to some of these clubs.”

Waterside DUP Alderman Niree McMorris said the programme was ‘vital for a lot of sporting groups.