New £1.2m sports pitch at Ballyhornan ‘fantastic facility’ for local community

New £1.2m sports pitch at Ballyhornan ‘fantastic facility’ for local community

3 November 2021

BALLYHORNAN’S new 3G sports pitch has been officially opened.

The £1.2m investment — which includes floodlights and ultra-modern changing facilities — has been funded by the Northern Ireland Executive’s Social Investment Fund and Newry, Mourne and Down Council.

Located adjacent to the Ballyhornan Family Centre, the new pitch is already widely used and has brought a number of benefits to the community.

The Social Investment Fund contributed £1.1m to the new development with the remainder provided by the local authority, with the Ballyhornan Community Association playing a pivotal role in helping secure the funding for the new pitch which was completed in October last year.

Designed to increase access to community and leisure services by providing a fit-for-purpose, safe and structured environment to meet the needs and expectations of the Ballyhornan community and surrounding area, the new pitch will make a major contribution to help improve the health and well-being of people in the area.

Ballyhornan and District Community Association chairwoman, Patricia Curran, expressed her delight to finally have a completed facility after years of rallying to secure funding for the 3G pitch which can be used all year round.

“We are very grateful to all the statutory bodies and the local council who supported us throughout this campaign. Without them, we would not have achieved our goal,” said Mrs Curran.

“This pitch will be a great asset to Ballyhornan and outlying communities and we are very appreciative of this opportunity to provide a top of the range sports facility.”

Mrs Curran extended thanks to several people who worked with community officials to secure agreement for the new pitch and deliver it.

Special thanks were extended to former local council officer Liam McLernon, Cllr Dermot Curran and former councillor Naomi Bailie for their “immense support”. 

Mrs Curran also highlighted the support of Celtic Bhoys Football Club which uses the new pitch for its home games. She said the club’s support was essential “in making the project a success.”

Council chairwoman Cathy Mason, who performed the official opening, said one of the organisation’s key objectives was to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in the district and reduce health inequalities. 

“This new facility will become a thriving hub that will have a hugely positive impact on the local area, benefitting the health and wellbeing of people of all ages by offering improved access to modern sporting facilities,” she said.

“This fantastic new facility is an excellent example of partnership working between statutory and voluntary groups and the health and wellbeing impact on our community will be immense.”

South Down MLA Colin McGrath said the official opening of the new pitch was “testament” to the work done by Mrs Curran and the team at Ballyhornan, working alongside officials from a number of organisations and elected representatives.

“It’s a real joy to see a picture of the late Eddie McGrady in the community centre in Ballyhornan who officially opened the building,” he continued.

“This latest development should serve as a reminder as to what can be delivered when communities, political representatives and government bodies work together in a common effort.  I can only hope we get to see more of these good news stories in the time ahead.”

Cllr Curran said he was “delighted” to attend last week’s official opening ceremony and thanked the funders of the new pitch for their respective contributions.

“These investments are investments in our community and something we should all be very proud of. However, none of this would have happened without the hard work and determination of Patricia Curran and her team,” he continued.

“Getting to this point over the past 12 years was a hard road with plenty of potholes, but Patricia never gave up. I am delighted that with help she get over those hurdles. However, had it not been for her dedication, this new pitch development simply wouldn’t have been possible.”