Unique new sports facility for Donegal
12 February 2008
Funding from the European Union’s INTERREG IIIA Programme has been instrumental in the establishment of one of the finest sports facilities in the North West.
On 8 February 2008, Cllr. John Boyle, Mayor of Ballyshannon, officially opened the huge floodlit pitch at the Lakeside Centre in Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal. It is the largest of its kind in the county and, with its all-weather playing surface and excellent equipment, it will provide top class facilities to three major sports – soccer, rugby and Gaelic games. It is also unique in that it is the first in the county to be owned and managed by the community.
The new facility cost a total of €800,000, €180,000 of which has been financed by the European Union INTERREG IIIA Programme, managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the INTERREG Community Partnership. The facility is part of the Cross-border Community Integration through Sport project.
Community sports providers from Counties Donegal, Tyrone and Monaghan came together in a cross-border initiative, supported by their respective local authorities. A partnership was formed between Erne Enterprise in Ballyshannon, Youth Sport Omagh and the Clones-Erne East Partnership.
The project aims to encourage people to learn from the experience of others in sport and recreation; to involve children in sport and recreation; to help older people stay active; to develop economies of scale for the provision of top-class recreational facilities in rural areas; to complement the peace process by breaking down social and cultural barriers; to develop a cross-border model for community sport in west Ulster.
Also present at the opening were high profile representatives of national sporting bodies. They included the famous former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Packie Bonner (now Technical Director of the Football Association of Ireland), Tom Daly, President of the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and David Boyd of the Irish Rugby Football Union.
Kevin O’Connor is coach to Erne Wanderers and a driving force behind the establishment of this fine facility. He believes it will be an invaluable resource for sport in the area.
“I have strong family connections to the GAA, with my grandfather, uncle and cousin winning All-Ireland football medals with Kerry and Galway,” says Kevin.
“I became involved in coaching soccer when my children took a liking to it. I believe strongly that children should be encouraged to try various sports in order to keep them active throughout as much of the year as possible. Most will never play sport at the highest level but they will grow into healthy, broadminded adults.
“We are absolutely delighted with the new facility in Ballyshannon, and it’s good to see rugby, soccer and Gaelic players mixing there every evening.”
For further information, contact: Jon O’Neill on +353 (0) 87 7920302 lakesidesports@eircom.net.