AQW 22692/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 17/09/2021
Answered On Date: 29/09/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities for an update on (i) the Sub-Regional Stadia Programme for Soccer; and (ii) how clubs in the East Londonderry constituency will benefit from the programme.

Answer:

You will be aware that the Sub-Regional Stadia Programme is a commitment of the ‘New Decade New Approach’ agreement and I had requested that my Department take forward a ‘Refresh and Re-engagement’ exercise to identify the current and future needs for soccer at all levels.

Once I am fully satisfied that the evidence and benchmarking presented are addressing both the current and future needs of local soccer I will update Executive colleagues on my proposals on the way forward for the Programme.

As I recently stated at Minister’s Question Time on 20 September 2021, addressing regional disparity and funding are crucial issues and this will be one of my considerations as part of the refresh and re-engagement exercise.