TNIFF Grassroots Facilities Programme - Stream 1

Overview

The Northern Ireland Football Fund (TNIFF) is a long-standing Executive commitment to invest in modernising our local footballing infrastructure.

The Northern Ireland Football Fund will invest in three areas:

• Performance Programme

• Grassroots Facilities Programme

• National Football Centre

Grassroots Facilities Programme Pilot Stage

The Grassroots Facilities Programme (the Programme) aims to support investment in Grassroots Football Facilities across Northern Ireland. While the Department for Communities (DfC / the Department) develops the full design and scope of a long-term programme, a Pilot Stage is being introduced.

This Pilot Stage will enable the Department to explore demand and better understand the needs and challenges at grassroots level.

Importantly, the Pilot Stage gives applicants a direct opportunity to influence the future design of the Programme. The experience, feedback and outcomes from participants will help the Department learn what works best in practice, and shape how the long-term Programme operates.

Who Can Apply

Applications to the Programme will be made and assessed in two separate streams.

STREAM 1

Stream 1 is open to:

(A) Grassroots Football Clubs who are the Owner of the Grassroots Football Facility or Grassroots Football Clubs who intend to become the Owner of the Grassroots Football Clubs who intend to become the owner of the Grassroots Football Facility prior to the issue of a Funding Agreement.

Grassroots Football Club Definition

For the purposes of this Programme a Grassroots Football Club is defined as a football club which is affiliated to (or referred to as being a member of) the Irish Football Association (Irish FA), and which was not eligible to apply for the Performance Programme at the date of its launch – 30 January 2025.

Owner Definition

For the purposes of this Programme the Owner of a facility is defined as the organisation that holds either:

(1) a freehold interest; or

(2) a lease that will expire no earlier than 1 February 2052

of a Grassroots Football Facility

and

(B) The Owners of a Grassroots Facility in partbership with a Grassroots Football Club.

Partner Grassroots Football Club Definition

For the purposes of this Programme a Partner Grassroots Football Club is a Grassroots Football Club (as defined above) that trains and / or play its home matches at the facility and will support the applicant in delivery of the benefits associated with the proposed grant funded project (for the avoidance of doubt, the Partner Grassroots Football Club must be affiliated to the Irish FA).

STREAM 2

Stream 2 is open to:

(A) A council which is the owner of a Grassroots Football facility to which the application relates

and

(B) A council which is the Owner of a Grassroots Football Facility to which the application relates applying in partnership with a Partner Grassroots Football Club.

Each of Northern Ireland’s eleven councils can submit one application only for Stream 2 of the Programme. 

Councils, schools and Education Authority Owners of Grassroots Football Facilities are not eligible to apply to Stream 1 of the Programme.

THIS APPLICATION FORM IS FOR STREAM 1

What happens next

The application process has now closed.

Late applications will not be accepted.

Assessment

Applications will be assessed and ranked by The Northern Ireland Football Fund Team against the criteria listed in the Scoring Matrix.

In Stream 1 there will be four separate assessment panels, one for each Irish FA divisional association.

Applications will be scored and ranked only against others within their panel.

The highest scoring application from each panel will be taken forward for funding.

If, following scoring, two or more applicants have the same score, preference will be given to the applicant who has either not received any central government funding over the last six years, or has received the smaller amount of central government funding. Where a project cannot be identified following this process a random draw will take place.

Notification

Applicants can expect to be notified of the outcome by XXXX 2026. As applications are not comparable across divisional associations, the Department may notify some applicants before others as a means of expediting the process.

The highest scoring applicant from each divisional association will receive notification advising their project is being taken to the next stage of the Programme. At this stage the Department will engage with the highest scoring applicants to undertake:

• Financial Due Diligence check
• Legal Due Diligence check
• Feasibility check
• Subsidy Control assessment

FINANCIAL DUE DILIGENCE CHECK

The Department will use this check to focus on financial position and financial sustainability. We are interested in the Owner of the facility named at Question 1. This check is to ensure the Department is satisfied with the financial status of the Owner of the facility named at Question 1 and the degree of financial risk in any funding agreed.

This will include (but is not limited to):

• Providing the Department with the last 2 sets of detailed accounts/ financial statements.

LEGAL DUE DILIGENCE CHECK

This check will be taken forward by the Department’s solicitors and will include (but is not limited to):

• Checks that the applicant holds satisfactory title to the proposed grant funded property or is able to demonstrate, to the Department’s satisfaction, that this will be the case within an agreed timescale
• Checks that the applicant is properly constituted.
• Checks that the governing documents of the applicant align with the objectives of the Department’s grant funding.
• Checks that the applicant has the necessary powers to deliver the grant funded project.
• Checks that the applicant has the power to enter into the Grant Funding Agreement and to grant a Charge / Deed of Dedication over the grant funded property.

FEASIBILITY CHECK

This will be a meeting with the Department’s sports expert who will discuss the feasibility of the applicant’s project including (but not limited to):

• Scope of the project
• Capacity of applicant to deliver project
• State of readiness   

SUBSIDY CONTROL ACT ASSESSMENT

As the Department (a Public Authority) will be providing financial assistance to an Enterprise, officials will conduct a ‘Limb assessment’ to determine if the assistance is defined as a subsidy and therefore subject to UK Subsidy Control Act 2022 or the EU State Aid rules.

If the ‘Limb assessment’ concludes a subsidy is present a Subsidy Control Principles assessment will be completed to ensure compliance with the Subsidy Control Act 2022 prior to the decision to award funding.

The Department must be satisfied with the applicant and project following the financial due diligence check, legal due diligence check, feasibility meeting and Subsidy Control Act assessments to progress to the next stage of the Programme. Advice will be provided to applicants regarding any concerns that need to be addressed before proceeding to the next stage. Dependent on the action required and/or the timeframe to address any of the Department’s concerns, the Department retains the right to remove the applicant from the Programme.

NEXT STAGE

Applicants who successfully pass through the Due Diligence Stage to the satisfaction of the Department will, subject to funding, be issued with a Funding Agreement for their project.

Projects are expected to maintain momentum towards construction. Where progress stalls, the Department may remove the project from the process and advance to the next project on the relevant panel. The Department may also advance to the next highest scoring project on the panel where an applicant withdraws from the Programme.

If Your Application Is Not Successful

The application process is competitive, and we cannot fund all the good quality applications that we receive. If your application is not ranked highly enough to be taken forward the Department will inform you and provide you with a copy of your scoring sheet.

GRANTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

If your application is successful and you are awarded funding you will need to comply with all Funding Agreements, the Programme’s Code of Conduct and Terms and Conditions of funding for this programme.

ALL AWARDS ARE SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDING AND THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE FUNDING AGREEMENTS

THE GOVERNMENT FUNDERS DATABASE

The Government Funders Database holds records of applications and funding provided to voluntary and community sector organisations. This enables public sector funders to share information.

It can simplify and speed up the application and decision-making process for organisations. Summary information is also available on support that has been awarded to voluntary and community organisations. The information which you have provided will be entered onto the Government Funders Database and will be available to other public sector funders.

Freedom Of Information Act 2000 And the Data Protection Act 2018

The Department is subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Data protection Act 2018, and we will manage any information which you provide to us in accordance with this legislation. The Department’s privacy notice in relation to this programme can be viewed here:

https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/articles/dfc-privacy-notice