Representatives of Tyrone county board will visit Stormont next week seeking £1m in funding for their new Training Centre. The Tyrone GAA PR/Marketing Committee better known as Club Tyrone will visit Stormont on Monday 18th January as guests of local MLAs Barry McElduff and Tommy Gallagher to formally present the funding strategy for the Tyrone County GAA Training Centre being developed at Garvaghey, close to Ballygawley. The £6.7m Garvaghey project is the largest current capital sports project being developed anywhere in NI. Tyrone County GAA Chairman Ciarán McLaughlin will address MLAs and call for central government to support grassroots, community sports projects like Garvaghey. The project is fully endorsed by the Ulster GAA Council and Uachtarán Tom Daly alongside Provincial Director Danny Murphy will confirm their intention to grant the project 'Provincial Status'. Páraic Duffy, Director General of the GAA, will also be in attendance to confirm the GAA's largest-ever single package of funding for a northern-based GAA project. The Garvaghey project aims to provide a fully-inclusive Centre for all aspects of the GAA and its sister Gaelic Games in Tyrone and beyond. Work on the project commenced in April of last year and the next phase, the construction of five pitches, is due to start early in 2010. Garvaghey will contain floodlit five sand carpet pitches; one floodlit 4G pitch; full team changing and support facilities; Tyrone County GAA administration; and cultural, heritage and environmental resources. The site covers 43 acres and is fully-owned by Tyrone GAA. Of the £6.7m cost, £1.2m of Tyrone GAA money has already been spent on buying and preparing the site. A further £3.8m will be provided from GAA sources, including national and Ulster GAA and Club Tyrone while £0.7m is being sought from other sources. Sport NI has been earmarked by Tyrone GAA for just 15% (£1.0) of the total cost of what is the largest capital sports project being developed anywhere in Northern Ireland. Tweet

Most Read Stories