Clubs are desperate for stadium cash to be released, says Linfield chief David Healy

Linfield chief makes fresh plea for Sub-Regional money to be released

Linfield boss David Healy wants to see redevelopment funds finally released to Irish League clubs

Linfield manager David Healy has added his voice to calls for the long-awaited Sub-Regional Funding for football stadiums to be released as soon as possible.

There is hope within the Northern Ireland football community that the Casement Park redevelopment may help unlock funds desperately needed to transform dilapidated Irish League facilities.

With Casement being built with so much public money, the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) have been questioning when their clubs will be handed the long-promised £36.2million – and potentially more – from the Sub-Regional fund to improve their venues.

Irish FA Chief Executive Patrick Nelson told the Belfast Telegraph that Northern Ireland’s football clubs need £120m to modernise their neglected stadiums.

“We need in excess of £100m, I think we probably need £120m and that’s just for the NIFL clubs,” he said.

Casement Park is set to host games at Euro 2028 with Government funding promised, even though construction costs have soared since, with suggestions that building the west Belfast stadium could cost anything from £120million to £160million.

The Northern Ireland Executive, which is currently not functioning, allocated £36m for the Sub-Regional Programme for domestic football in 2015, but the money has not been released.

The Department for Communities have admitted to Irish League clubs that the promised injection of £36.2m is not enough for the current needs to upgrade stadiums, and that a long-term sum of around £100m from the Government could be made available to improve facilities.

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