Stadia funding: 'Sickening & embarrassing' - Irish League managers react to latest delay
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A new artificial pitch was installed at the Showgrounds last summer but Oran Kearney believes the stadium in general "hasn't changed in 25 or 30 years".
Coleraine manager Oran Kearney has called the latest delay in the release of funding for sub-regional stadiums in Northern Ireland "embarrassing".
The Executive committed £36m to the development of local football stadiums in Northern Ireland in 2015.
Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey said the funding has not been shelved but the proposal would need signed off by the now-collapsed Executive.
"Words like sickening would be up there with the feeling," said Kearney.
The Executive at Stormont collapsed earlier in February when Paul Givan resigned as first minister.
Individual ministers remain in place but can only make decisions that are not deemed "significant or controversial".
Kearney first became Coleraine manager in February 2011 and recalls a conversation around stadium development with chairman Colin McKendry in his early days at the club.
"I remember the excitement in my first half-season, and I remember having a conversation about what we could do to the ground and this money was imminent.
"That was 11 years ago - Colin said to me "Oran, it will be in a month, we will know about this in the next month and we have to get ready to get moving".
"How exciting that was for me as a young manager, looking forward to making big changes to infrastructure and raise the game in all aspects."
'What's it going to look like in 10 years?' - Kearney frustrated by stadia funding delay
However, the funding has not been released by Stormont and although Coleraine installed a new artificial pitch last summer, Kearney struggled to hide his frustrations on infrastructure in local football.
"We are standing 11 years on and yes, we have a really good pitch here now that has been self-funded through a serious amount of graft and work.
"We have a stadium that is an iconic-type stadium and there is a good roar off it, but if we are being honest it hasn't changed in 25 or 30 years.
"You want to enthuse people, you want to bring people, you want to enhance the product - and it is sickening and embarrassing to be honest.
"What's it going to look like in another 10 years? That is the sad indictment of where we are at this moment in time."
It's not just about football, it's about mental health
Warrenpoint Town manager Barry Gray echoed Kearney's thoughts and said "we're all frustrated" with the situation around stadia.
"I think the priority at this point is to make sure it doesn't disappear. The reality is £36m isn't enough anyway," he added.
"It's not just about football. It's communities, it's people, it's kids, it's players and it's mental health.
"Not to mention the revenue it creates for local teams, clubs, areas and towns. Let's hope the powers that be can make some sense of it."
Warrenpoint Town manager Barry Gray has highlighted the impact of Irish League on mental health
Ballymena United boss David Jeffrey believes politicians underestimate the impact of Irish League clubs in local communities and called on the Executive to "do the right thing".
"In some of the darkest days we have had in Northern Ireland, Irish League football kept going," said Jeffrey, who has been involved in the league since the 1980s.
"It brought people together and it healed divides. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why this money cannot be released.
"There is a massive amount of good work going on within the Irish League. The community side of things cannot be underestimated.
"I don't accept when they say we don't have a functioning Executive so the money can't be released. The money has been there for years and years and years. Just do the right thing and please support us."
'It keeps communities together'
Stephen Baxter has been manager of Crusaders for 17 years and has witnessed the transition of the Seaview club from bottom of the Championship to Irish Premiership winners.
Crusaders are one of four Premiership clubs to have an artificial pitch and a new hospitality suite and restaurant was built at the north Belfast ground in 2019, which doubled as a Covid-19 vaccination centre in December.
"People put a lot of time and effort into making our game what it is. We have improved our facilities no end. We have asked supporters to put their hands in their pockets to help us along the way," said Baxter.
Seaview was used as a vaccination centre for Covid-19 booster jabs in December
"Week in, week out we are brining a huge number of local people here. Not only on a football front but our social club and so many things go on there through the week.
"In order to keep communities together we need to keep improving facilities. Nobody over the past 10 years has worked harder than Irish League clubs to improve their facilities and bring them up to speed. I would hope that the government would get the money flowing into local football.
"It constantly needs it to update these facilities. They are antiquated at some of the grounds around the place.
"We are working tirelessly to keep improving them and there is a lot that still needs to go on here."
Lack of facilities depriving kids and families
Newry City are leading the Championship in their bid for a return to the top flight and manager Darren Mullen says his reaction was "despondency" to the latest developments.
"It has just been kicked constantly down the road and you are in a typical blame game with the politics side of it. The harsh reality at the minute is our facilities aren't fit to cope with what is needed at the club.
"With poor weather we have had to cancel some of our youth games and teams have had to travel. I don't think politicians realise the impact and they need to wake up and realise the extremely positive impact it could have if this funding is given out.
"You can see the teams who have the artificial pitches that they have kids down all the time and their academies are thriving.
"We don't have that, and you are depriving kids and the families of Newry. If we were able to upgrade our facilities you would see an immediate impact."
Darren Mullen guided Newry City to four promotions in five seasons
Mullen, who has been heavily involved with the club since it reformed in 2013 and guided the county Down club from intermediate football to the Premiership, believes those in the Executive should be worried about "leaving some form of legacy".
"The potential is huge. We can see that. We are going well on the pitch so there is positivity and the whole buzz about the city.
"For a city of this size not to have a soccer 3g pitch I think that is a poor reflection and it shouldn't be the case. The Showgrounds should be a hub for the local community, in terms of a city like Newry not having that there is something badly wrong.
"If we can get this funding it would have a massive impact on the whole of Newry. The positive impact it would have is unmeasurable."