A major four-year, cross-border initiative that places sport at the centre of peacebuilding and social cohesion has been officially launched in Belfast, with Sport 4 Peace set to engage more than 6,000 young people across Ulster’s nine counties.
The Sport 4 Peace project was launched last week at the Newforge Sports Complex, marking the start of a PEACEPLUS-supported programme that will use sustained participation in sport to promote positive relations, inclusion and lasting community connections on a cross-community and cross-border basis.
Led by Ulster GAA in partnership with Ulster Rugby, Irish Football Association and Football Association of Ireland, the initiative represents one of the most extensive examples of multi-code collaboration on the island of Ireland.
Over its four-year lifespan, Sport 4 Peace will be delivered through 96 schools and 80 sports clubs across 14 council areas, including border regions and communities experiencing higher levels of social need. Activity will focus on long-term engagement rather than one-off events, reflecting growing evidence that sport’s greatest peacebuilding impact comes through regular, structured contact between people from different backgrounds.
The launch was attended by senior figures from across sport, including Northern Ireland football manager Michael O’Neill, Ulster Rugby General Manager Rory Best, two-time All-Ireland-winning footballer Peter Canavan, and FAI Head of Women & Girls’ Football Lizzy Kent.
Sport 4 Peace is supported through the PEACEPLUS Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body, and aligns with wider policy objectives to build peaceful, inclusive and resilient communities through shared experience and cooperation.
Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Dara Calleary welcomed the launch, saying the initiative demonstrated the value of partnership working across jurisdictions and sectors. Minister of State Jerry Buttimer added that PEACEPLUS funding is designed to foster respect, social cohesion and inclusive communities through practical, community-based action.
From a delivery perspective, the programme combines sport participation with education, leadership development, volunteering and community engagement, supported by 10 Community Sport Development Officers drawn from the four governing bodies. These officers will work collaboratively across communities and borders, embedding shared activity rather than parallel delivery.
Welcoming the project, SEUPB Chief Executive Gina McIntyre said Sport 4 Peace illustrates how investment in sport can be leveraged to break down barriers and create meaningful connections, bringing together organisations that traditionally operate independently.
Ulster GAA President Michael Geoghegan highlighted sport’s role as a common denominator capable of creating lasting community connections, while FAI President Paul Cooke said the collaboration demonstrated how governing bodies can maximise impact by working together rather than in isolation.
Ulster Rugby President Paul Hart described Sport 4 Peace as a move beyond short-term initiatives, focused instead on sustained participation and shared experience, while Irish FA President Conrad Kirkwood said football’s unifying power remains a vital tool in addressing division and building mutual understanding.
The launch event also included a practical demonstration of the programme’s ambitions, with pupils from four Belfast primary schools taking part in a “Game of Three Halves”, experiencing Gaelic football, rugby and football in a shared session.
Delivered through an extensive network of community, education, equality and statutory partners, Sport 4 Peace reflects an increasing recognition within sport policy that collaboration, scale and consistency are critical to delivering meaningful social outcomes alongside participation growth.
Image Credit: Ulster GAA
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