Soccer Strategy - Facilities
Soccer Strategy – Facilities Element
The Irish Football Association (IFA) is working in partnership with Sport Northern Ireland(SNI) to provide a funding programme to develop football stadiums to UEFA, Irish Premier League (IPL) and Premier Intermediate League (PIL) level.
The eligibility criteria required clubs to submit audited accounts for the previous two financial years to demonstrate their solvencyand that where clubs do not own their ground they were required to submit a lease with a minimum term of 21 years.
Application packs with information and guidance booklets were distributed to eligible clubs on 10 August 2007and information sessions held on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 August. The closing date for applications was Friday 26 October 2007.
It is anticipated that the programme will fund a number of awards that will have a major impact on the functionality and compliance with UEFA / IFA ground criteria at their respective venues.
Funding thresholds:
- UEFA awards will be up to a maximum of £300,000
- IPL awards will be up to a maximum of £200,000
- PIL awards will be up to a maximum of £75,000
Applicants must contribute a proportion of the project costs from their own or another partners' resources. The maximum percentage award available is 85%, therefore a minimum partnership funding of 15% is required.
A total of 26 applications were received and the Club Licensing and Facilities Department continued to work in partnership with Sport NI in the assessment of all clubs submissions and this was completed by early December 2007.
It is proposed that final approvals for funding will be made in early April 2008 with Provisional Letters of Offer issued shortly thereafter.
The Club Licensing and Facilities Department has continued to liaise with clubs during this period and many clubs have received confirmation that their applications for planning permission have been approved.
The objective remains to complete all approved projects by March 2009.
