The ongoing political instability in Northern Ireland has placed 28 GAA coaching jobs under threat.

The GAA coaches, along with 28 IFA (Irish Football Association) coaches, had been put on protective notice last May for a 90-day period amid fears that the Curriculum Sports Programme scheme could be discontinued due to the absence of an agreed Stormont budget for 2017/18. 

But the prospect of thousands of children in 450 primary schools across the province being left without coaching was avoided after the Department of Education agreed to extend its support for the scheme until the end of this month.

However, there are fears that the scheme, which costs the Department about £1.3 million annually, could be discontinued.

"Last year, the programme got a reprieve until the end of March in the hope a minister would be in place to put the programme back on a firm financial footing," SDLP Assembly member and former Armagh All-Ireland winner Justin McNulty said.

"However, with the collapse of the deal between the DUP and Sinn Fein, more than 50 coaches are being faced with redundancy notices and children will be robbed of this valuable sporting programme."

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