£500k funding boost for Richhill pitch project

Richhill AFC has scored a £500,000 funding boost for a new floodlit pitch.

The club announced this afternoon (Tuesday) that it could officially confirm the fining from the Irish FA / DCMS 2025/26 Grassroots Facilities Investment Fund for works which have already started on the installation of a full size synthetic floodlit pitch within their leased grounds at Richhill Recreation Centre.

Reflecting on this exciting news, Club Chairman Neil Megaw stated “First and foremost, as a Club, we are extremely grateful to the Irish FA / DCMS panel for approving our application and awarding us this funding – funding which is going to transform both our Club and community.

“For example, our growing number of teams will now have access to state-of-the art facilities while the PE and extra-curricular multi-sports programmes of local schools (particularly nearby Hardy Memorial PS) will also benefit during off peak hours.

“A wide range of other football and non-football community groups will enjoy access to the facility thus dramatically increasing the number of visitors into Richhill village, which subsequently can also only be good for local businesses. Therefore, everyone is a winner.”

Neil added,  “Achieving funding of this magnitude doesn’t just happen and so I wish to thank all the different community groups and representatives who provided letters of support.

“However, ultimately, the success of any project comes down to the contributions of a few key individuals and so I wish to acknowledge the outstanding support that we received from Richard Forsythe (Forsythe Consulting Ltd) and Colin Lindsay (CT Lindsay Chartered Architect Ltd).

“Finally, I want to thank our Club Committee of William Anderson, Bobby Farquhar, Matthew Finlay, Gary McCoo, Jackie McCoo, Sam McElveen and Paul Nellins with special mention reserved for Club Secretary Mark McCune, who has been a constant driver of this project from the outset”

With construction already well underway by local company Clive Richardson Limited (CRL), the club is hopeful of a completion date in March.