To ask the Minister for Communities for an update on the delivery of the Northern Ireland Football Fund.

The three strands of the Northern Ireland Football Fund are progressing as follows:

Performance Programme

The Department is currently subject to a Judicial Review relating to the process used to identify the prioritised cohort of applicants selected to be taken forward in the performance programme. Nevertheless, my officials continue to progress the programme while awaiting the outcome of those proceedings.

This prioritised cohort is currently progressing through the Outline Business Case 1 (OBC1) stage, with legal due diligence also ongoing. All OBC1 submissions are due to be received by the Department by the end of October 2026, when they will then be taken through the Departmental approval process. Whilst no decision on funding has been made at this stage, I remain committed to progressing the performance programme at pace.

Grassroots Programme

On 30 September 2026, I announced the seven applicants that will progress to the next stage of the Grassroots Facilities Programme Pilot. My officials will now engage with these applicants to complete the required due diligence process.

National Football Centre

My Department also continues to work closely with the Irish Football Association on the development of a National Football Centre. The Department has determined that the project demonstrates value for money and the next steps required to bring forward this important project are underway.

Progress is being made across all three strands of the Northern Ireland Football Fund, with due diligence, business case development and project planning activity continuing to ensure that public funding is invested appropriately and delivers lasting benefits for football across Northern Ireland.