Home / Sports / Clubs Sue Over £36.2M NI Football Fund
Clubs Sue Over £36.2M NI Football Fund
18 Feb
Summary
- Two football clubs are challenging their exclusion from the Northern Ireland Football Fund.
- The fund, aimed at improving stadiums, has a budget of £36.2m.
- A High Court hearing for the judicial review is scheduled for May.
A legal challenge regarding the Northern Ireland Football Fund is set to be heard in May. Two football clubs, Crusaders and Derry City, have initiated proceedings, seeking a judicial review of the Department for Communities' decision to exclude them from the second stage of the funding programme.
Lawyers for the clubs argue the department's decision was irrational and procedurally unfair. The Northern Ireland Football Fund was established with an initial budget of £36.2 million to enhance football stadiums and infrastructure across Northern Ireland. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons announced in September that 20 clubs had progressed to the next stage, but Crusaders and Derry City were not among them.
Mr Justice Fowler confirmed that a two-day hearing will take place in May to consider the clubs' request to have the funding decisions overturned. The Department has since sent correspondence to both clubs outlining the subsequent steps in the process, with counsel for all parties agreeing to advance the case to a full judicial review application.
