Haffey Sports Grounds Ltd have commenced works at Banbridge High School on a new £1.8 million 3G sports pitch for students and the local community.

The initiative includes a full-scale 3G synthetic pitch equipped with floodlighting, fencing and a changing pavilion. It will operate in collaboration with Banbridge High School during daytime hours and will be managed by Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon Borough (ABC) Council for community use.

Funding for the project, totalling £1.6 million, is provided by ABC Council, with the Department for Communities serving as the primary partner under the 'Your School Your Club' initiative. Additionally, Sport NI has allocated £225,000 towards the initiative.

Lord Mayor, Alderman Margaret Tinsley commented: "This is an exciting time for Banbridge High School and everyone in the local area. These much-needed sports facilities will go a long way to support local clubs, teams and those looking to be more active. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone involved in making this project possible and I look forward to seeing the facility being embraced and enjoyed by all in our community."

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A spokesperson for the Education Authority (EA) stated: "We are delighted to partner with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and Sport NI through their ‘Your School Your Club’ programme at Banbridge High School. This partnership investment will enable the construction of a 3G, floodlit pitch with changing provision on the existing school site. Once completed the students from Banbridge High School and its wider community partners will benefit greatly from this state-of-the-art facility. We look forward to its completion with great anticipation."

Richard Archibald, Interim CEO of Sport NI said: "The ‘Your School Your Club’ project aims to maximise resources and bring people together through the power of sport. This investment enables schools to improve their facilities for young people but also benefits local sports clubs and organisations in providing a place to participate in sport.

"We are delighted to have worked in partnership with others to improve sporting opportunities at Banbridge High School and strengthen important connections between the school and its local community."

Principal of Banbridge High School, Mrs Katy Feeney, said: "Banbridge High School is at the heart of the local community. The 3G pitch will not only allow for an extension of our sporting provision, providing students with a state-of-the-art surface to participate in PE lessons, but it will also bring the community to the school grounds in the evenings and at the weekends.

"Sport brings people together and this is a fantastic opportunity to enrich our students experience at school and provide a fantastic facility for the community. The ABC Council, the Education Authority, Sport NI as well as school stakeholders have worked tremendously hard to facilitate the approval of the 3G pitch and secure the funding to make this a reality. We look forward to observing the progress over the coming months until the pitch is finally ready to use."

The 3G pitch and pavilion have been designed by AECOM. Work is expected to be completed by December 2024.