Update from football bodies' on Northern Ireland Football Fund.

In light of this evening's update on the Northern Ireland Football Fund from Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons MLA, Northern Ireland's football bodies, the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) and the Irish FA have made the following statements:

NIFL Chief Executive, Gerard Lawlor, said:

We welcome today's announcement with cautious optimism, as our member clubs finally can begin an application process for much needed funds. The Irish FA and ourselves together have lobbied long and hard for the past 14 years, so we are pleased to reach this important milestone.

However, as we have regularly outlined this current fund will unfortunately have nowhere near the impact as initially intended, and as the Minister himself has stated - much more is needed to have the required impact.

In the correspondence to not develop Casement Park for Euro 2028 the Secretary of State and UK Sports Minister stated that they, 'Remained committed to building a legacy for football across the whole of the UK'. This is their big chance, as now is the time to step up and deliver.

The NI Football Fund requires more money, the Lord Justice Taylor report was published in 1990, and football in Northern Ireland still hasn't received its proportion, so we strongly feel that UK funding is long overdue. We will continue to lobby and make our case to both to NI Executive and UK Government, as the role and impact our member clubs play in both their communities and society simply cannot be understated.

Irish FA President, Conrad Kirkwood, said:

This is a positive step forward.

"The Northern Ireland Executive's allocation of £36.2 million for modernising our football infrastructure is welcome.

"That said, it is long overdue and falls significantly short of the Department for Communities' own estimated £200 million required to upgrade performance club grounds, grassroots facilities, and establish a National Football Centre for Northern Ireland.

"Modern fit for purpose stadia will drive performance and raise aspirations. Moreover, better facilities generally will benefit football, and the people of Northern Ireland, for generations to come.

"And we, alongside with our partners at the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) are dedicated to working closely with the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that our game benefits from the UK and Ireland's hosting of the UEFA Euro 2028 tournament."