Finn Harps would like to welcome the funding announcement of almost €4 million for the Donegal Community Stadium at Stranorlar. This is a great boost for the club, as the project is critical to our plans to build proper and sustainable structures for the development of football in the county.
In order to bring a project of this scale to fruition, a collaborative approach is necessary, and we greatly appreciate the support of key stakeholders, namely Donegal County Council, the FAI and Dept. of Sport. By working with our key partners we hope to be in the new stadium for the 2024 season.
The announcement is a very positive indication from the Department of Sport for the project, and we are very appreciative of this support. It is an important and significant investment in the County, and in the League of Ireland during these challenging times.
The club would like to acknowledge Donegal County Council who have played a key role from the outset. Some years ago, the Council identified the Twin Towns of Ballybofey/Stranorlar as a strategic location for the development of a Centre of Excellence for Sport & Recreation within the County Development Plan, and have provided the site for the project, as well as being supportive with the funding application.
We would also like to thank the FAI who made the funding application on our behalf, under the Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund, and who have continued to work closely with the club for many years to get the project recommenced on site.
In addition, it is important to acknowledge and thank our local public representatives for working hard to secure the funding for the project and for the County. Different hurdles presented at various stages, but all parties involved have worked towards their resolution. We look forward to further help and support as we make the project a reality and deliver a top class facility for the community of the Northwest.
We await further details from the Department and look forward to moving forward with the project in partnership with the other key stakeholders.
Local polititians have reacted to the news as follows (order is random):