The Sport Northern Ireland (Sport NI) Places for Sport Programme is designed to assist with the delivery of the new Strategy for Sport and Physical Recreation 2009-10 to provide a vision of ‘a culture of lifelong enjoyment and success in sport’. To achieve this vision, the Strategy recognises the need to develop a range of new, improved and shared sports facilities to a standard comparable with other regions in the UK.
The programme specifically focuses on five areas:
1. Pitches and other outdoor sports surfaces e.g. athletic tracks/tennis
courts etc
2. Indoor specialised sports surfaces
3. (a) Floodlighting of training pitches
(b) Floodlighting for main pitches – only available for strategically important venues
4. Buildings – Construction of a new two or four changing room
pavilion/Extensions to existing changing pavilions where there is a
demonstrated need for additional provision
5. Purchase of equipment – Equipment must be based permanently in one
location and must be new and not replacement or maintenance equipment.
Places for Sport 09/10 funding will be available for projects which can achieve significant spend before 31 March 2010. Applicants can apply for an award from £10,000 up to a maximum of £245,000.
It is hoped that future rounds of this programme will open in the near future which will cater for those applications who do not have a project in such an advanced ‘State of Readiness’, and it is likely that these future programmes will have an increased funding threshold (in excess of £245,000 and similar to those made under the Building Sport Programme).
Details about the 09/10 programme can be downloaded below. There are templates for use with this programme which are located within the ‘Places for Sport General Guidance and Templates’ on the Sports Councila website.
Key Questions
(a) Do you have planning permission for your proposed development or can you confirm/demonstrate that planning permission is not required?
(b) Do you own your own ground or have security of tenure in place which meets the requirements for the programme which are:
1.Buildings – must show ownership of the proposed site of at least 21 years
2.Pitches – must show ownership of the proposed site of at least 10 years
3.Equipment – must show access to the storage facility through an Access Agreement for at least 5 years (Please see Page 15 of the Information and Guidance Notes)
(c) Do you have partnership funding in place?
(d) Can your project achieve significant spend before 31 March 2010.
If you answer YES to ALL of the above, then you may qualify for this programme.
If you would be interested in applying for this scheme, and can satisfy ALL of the criteria above, please download the following Application Form and Information and Guidance Notes:
Places for Sport 09/10 Application Form
Places for Sport 09/10 Information and Guidance Notes
Deadline for application returns: 4pm on 12 June 2009
For futher information and guidance visit http://www.sportni.net/placesforsport200910.htm