Sports clubs across Northern Ireland are being offered another £2 million in facilities funding through a model that combines public investment with money raised directly from their own communities.

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has confirmed the 2026/27 Olympic Legacy Fund, delivered by Sport NI in partnership with Crowdfunder UK.

The £2 million programme will be released in two £1 million tranches, with the first application window now open and a second opportunity due in November.

Clubs and community organisations can propose crowdfunding projects valued between £5,000 and £50,000.

Sport NI can provide 65 per cent of the campaign target, leaving the remaining 35 per cent for the club to raise through its members, supporters, local businesses, and the wider community.

Projects valued above £50,000 can also be considered but must demonstrate additional partnership funding.

The model has already demonstrated its capacity to generate investment beyond the original Government allocation.

“The partnership approach we take with clubs demonstrates the creativity, commitment and pride which people take in their facilities, people and community,” said Minister Lyons.

The previous Olympic Legacy programme facilitated more than £2.1 million of investment across 81 grassroots sports clubs, with clubs and their communities generating more than £1 million in additional contributions through crowdfunding.

Projects supported have included new sports equipment, resurfaced playing areas, floodlights, spectator stands and clubhouse improvements.

The 2026/27 programme will also use a place-based, active-membership assessment system to prioritise applications.

A club’s location will be assessed against demographic groups currently under-represented in sports participation, adding a participation-policy dimension to the capital investment.

The first £1 million application window opened on September 23 and runs until October 14.

 

Sport for Business Perspective

 

The Olympic Legacy Fund has an interesting piece of sports economics behind it.

Public funding is being used to unlock private and community money that might otherwise not have been invested in sporting infrastructure.

Under the standard model, a £50,000 project could receive £32,500 from Sport NI while the club has to persuade its own community to provide the remaining £17,500.

This makes the public investment go further, and it tests whether there is genuine community support for the proposed project.

A club that can persuade members, parents, supporters, and local businesses to contribute to a new pitch, floodlights, or clubhouse demonstrates demand before the State commits the bulk of the funding.

Local businesses may also be more inclined to support a defined capital project with a visible outcome than simply make an unrestricted donation to a club.

That creates opportunities for clubs to build relationships with businesses which can continue after the crowdfunding campaign has finished.

The results from the previous programme suggest the model has genuine leverage.

Community contributions generated more than £1 million, while 81 clubs received investment.

There is an obvious comparison with the Community Sport Facilities Fund in the Republic, which is preparing for its next major funding round.

The scale is different, and requiring every club to crowdfund would not necessarily be appropriate.

But some projects could benefit from a matched-funding model that complements conventional grants.

If €1 of State investment can persuade a community or local business network to add another 30 or 40 cents, the same public budget can ultimately deliver substantially more sporting infrastructure.

Just as importantly, the people who helped pay for a facility have a greater stake in seeing it used.

That may be the most valuable legacy of all.

 

 

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