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Three schools in Co Armagh, Co Tyrone and Co Antrim are set to benefit from £500,000 of Sport NI funding through the Your School Your Club initiative.

Through funding from the Department for Communities (DfC),the unique programme opens up the school estate for community and club use.

Lismore College in Craigavon, Holy Trinity College in Cookstown and Wallace High School in Lisburn will receive funding to improve their facilities which will also be available for clubs and community groups, increasing opportunities for local people to participate in sport.

Both Lismore and Holy Trinity College will invest in new floodlights ensuring that their pitches can be used in the evenings by sports teams and community groups.

John Donnelly (Education Authority), Richard Archibald (Sport NI Interim Chief Executive), Shauna Lennon (Lismore College) Gordon Lyons MLA (Communities Minister), Peter Canavan (Holy Trinity College) and Neil Hinds (Wallace High School) pictured following the Your School Your Club funding announcement. (Pic: Contributed).

Wallace High School will enhance its indoor and outdoor cricket facilities which will also be used by cricket clubs.

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Welcoming the investment, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons MLA said: “As Minister for Sport, I am committed to raising the standard of sports pitches and facilities to ensure everyone has access to the sport of their choice. It is great to see Your School Your Club continuing to make a real difference to schools and their local communities across Northern Ireland.

“Improvements such as floodlights will open up school pitches to additional community groups and sports clubs and will encourage more people

to improve their skills or even try a new sport.

"I look forward to Your School Your Club going from strength to strength, opening up different activities to a range of new participants.”

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The Your School Your Club steering group consists of various organisations including the Department for Communities, Sport NI, Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, District Councils, Department for Education and the Education Authority.

Education Minister Paul Givan MLA said: “PE and sports offer a wide range of physical, social, and emotional benefits, not only for our children

and young people, but for all of society.

“Partnerships like Your School Your Club enable our resources to be utilised effectively to enhance sports facility provision across Northern Ireland. This supports and benefits both schools and the wider community.”

£500,000 boost for school sport facilities in Craigavon, Cookstown and Lisburn