NI Football Fund Performance Programme: Open for Applications
The long anticipated NI Football Fund Performance Programme is now open for applications. This is a huge opportunity for sports clubs in Northern Ireland, with £36 million available. There is a strict deadline for application submission on 14th March 2025 at 5pm.
Who can apply to NI Football Fund?
The Performance Programme funding strand is expected to be the most significant in terms of scope and complexity and only Performance Clubs (or the Owner of a football ground in association with a Performance Club) are eligible to apply.
Performance Clubs are defined as all current Football Clubs which are members of the Northern Ireland Football League or League of Ireland who play their home matches at a venue located in Northern Ireland.
Is your club ‘Grant Ready’?
To get ‘Grant Ready’ for the NI Football Fund Performance Programme, we recommend focusing on these key areas:
- Lease Agreement: Review lease agreement if necessary to ensure it meets minimum requirements. If it does not meet minimum requirements, renegotiate terms to either (1) freehold interest or (2) a lease that will expire no earlier than 1 January 2051.
- Detailed Quotations: Get a thorough quotation for all planned project works with a detailed breakdown of costs. If you are unsure how exactly your planned project will look, the department have suggested to follow the Sport England Facility Costs Guide for guidance. Please see details here.
- Optimum Bias: Remember to include optimum bias which is set at 30% to the total cost of your project in the application stage.
- Matched Funding: Review matched funding requirements and if necessary, source funding to satisfy partnership funding which is set at (1) 40% for council owned football grounds (where no long-term lease to Performance Club is in place) or (2) 5% for all other eligible applicants.
For more information on the Northern Ireland Football Fund Performance Programme, view their Guidance Document here.
Get in Touch
At 2into3, we specialise in helping sports organisations secure funding. In 2023, we managed 60 applications for the Community Sports Facilities Fund, securing £10 million (€12.2 million) for our clients. In 2024, we managed 13 successful Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund applications, totalling £35.7 million (€43 million).
Ready to discuss how we can help your club secure funding? Contact our Director of Funding, Patricia Keenan, at patricia.keenan@2into3.com or visit our webpage for more information on our sports specialisation.
