Minister Lyons hosts the visit of the British Sports Minister

Minister Gordon Lyons has held discussions with UK Sports Minister Stuart Andrew about developing football at all levels in Northern Ireland.

After a series of engagements in folk and performance clubs, Minister Lyons said:

“I was delighted to host the visit of UK Sports Minister Stuart Andrew today, in line with the commitment to the Football Sub-Regional Program set out in the FA Leadership Protection Document.

“We heard the passion and enthusiasm of those involved in the game, from young players to leaders of sports organisations.

“The demand for change is clear at all levels of the game.”

Ministers visited Rathmore School, Cliftonville FC and Glentoran FC and saw players of all abilities taking part in the matches.

Minister Lyons added:

“It was great for us to see first-hand the importance of investing in the grassroots level and the regional football programme. By investing in sport, we are also investing in life. It has the power to bring people together, as players on the pitch and as fans in the stands. There is A real opportunity is here to maximize health, social and economic benefits.

“I look forward to continuing the dialogue with Minister Andrew and with all our local stakeholders and partners to ensure the right support is in place to grow the game in a sustainable way.”

Sports Minister Stuart Andrew said:

“Sport is vital to our physical and mental wellbeing, which is why we are investing more than £325 million across the UK to give people access to high-quality grassroots sports facilities.

“This includes support in Northern Ireland and it was good to meet Minister Lyons to hear their plans to build on this further and strengthen the grassroots up to the elite levels of the game.”

Ministers met with representatives of the National Football Association, FIFA and local clubs as part of the visit.

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