New shared synthetic sports pitch for Limavady - Poots

A love of sport can help have a positive impact on the health and development of our young people and shape them for adulthood, Sports Minister, Edwin Poots, MLA, has said.

The Minister was speaking at the opening ceremony of a new £600,000 synthetic pitch at Limavady Grammar School, funded by the Big Lottery Fund and Limavady Borough Council. He said “Having the best possible sporting facilities encourages participation and I congratulate all those involved on their foresight and conviction to see this project through to completion.

“This new pitch will complement the fantastic facilities already in place at the school but while the pitch is located in the grounds, it will also be used by a number of other schools and organisations.

“Around 24 schools and 30 community organisations, including local GAA clubs and the Boys Brigade will have access to the pitch, not just during the day, but in the evenings as well. It is a great example of what joint programme funding can achieve.”

The Big Lottery Fund’s New Opportunities for PE and Sport Programme was launched in 2002 with a £33.75m budget. Its aim is to bring about a step change in the provision of sporting facilities for young people and for the community in general.

The Minister continued: “One of the key aims of this lottery programme is to build new outdoor sport facilities for school and community use. I hope that many other schools and community organisations will fully utilise this wonderful facility.

“I look forward to hearing about sporting performances at this superb facility and how the local community makes use of it,” the Minister added.

Notes to Editors:

Limavady Grammar School was awarded £584,353 from the Big Lottery Fund New Opportunities for PE and Sport towards the construction of this new state-of-the-art floodlit synthetic pitch. Limavady Borough Council also contributed £50,000.

The new sporting facility is suitable for all weather use, enhancing the quality of play for around 900 pupils, other schools and the wider Limavady community.

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