Sports NI have allocated no money for Brandywell

Last week the Sentinel reported how the roll-out of £36m for local stadia - including Brandywell Stadium potentially - has not yet been agreed and will not take place until 2015 at the earliest.

Now Sports Minister Carol Ní Chuilín has confirmed that Sports NI has not allocated any money for the ground.

Mr Eastwood asked the Minister how much funding her Department has allocated for the upgrade of Brandywell Stadium.

She replied: “Sport NI is responsible for the distribution of funding for sport in the north of Ireland. Sport NI has not allocated any exchequer funding for the upgrade of the Brandywell Stadium, Derry in the current CSR period.”

Last week she said the Executive’s endorsement of the £36m for sub-regional development “as priority spending” post-2015 was not the same as an agreement to fund the development of local stadia.

She stated: “The Executive have endorsed c. £36m funding for sub-regional development within association football ‘as a priority area of spend in the next CSR period’ (2015 onwards).

“While a strong endorsement it is not the same as agreeing to fund sub-regional stadium development. Funding for this purpose still needs to be secured as part of the normal budgetary process for CSR 2015.”