Education Minister urged to explain proposed £30k spend on football team’s astro pitch amid schools funding crisis
Pledge made within weeks at time schools are waiting years for essential works
Garrett Hargan
Education Minister Paul Givan has been urged to explain how a proposal was made to allocate £30,000 to a football club to cover its shortfall for a synthetic pitch — when his own official said it is only used on a limited basis by schools.
Communications obtained by the Belfast Telegraph show the Department of Education (DE) gave its approval for the allocation of £30,000 to the Education Authority (EA) towards a synthetic floodlit football pitch for Richhill AFC in Co Armagh.
That decision came weeks after Mr Givan visited the club on March 4 2026 and it requested a “£30,000 contribution from EA towards (a) synthetic floodlit football pitch”.
In attendance were Neil Megaw, the chairman of Richhill AFC, other club representatives, a local school principal and DUP MLA Gareth Wilson.
Prior to that meeting, a DE official briefed Mr Givan, noting that the grounds of Richhill AFC are currently leased from Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon Council.
The advice said Mr Megaw was seeking a financial contribution from the EA, and it would be for EA to determine whether “it is feasible and represents value for money for (the) public purse”.
There was a recognition that it would require a formal business case, which would have to assess the annual uptake of the facilities by local schools.
The official stated: “Richhill AFC is not on a school site and therefore, although the grounds are used occasionally by a number of local schools, it would not be eligible for consideration for funding from the Curriculum-Led Capital Investment Programme.”
It then added: “Richhill AFC have provided several letters in support of the provision of the new football pitch,; however the amount of use alluded to in these is limited, typically sports days and similar one-off events.
“These could be delivered at other venues, if they cannot be accommodated with each school’s own setting.”
Just weeks after the March 4 meeting, an email was sent from the Department of Education to the EA titled ‘Allocation of funding’.
In the email dated April 1, there is a shift in language, with DE saying local schools “make extensive use of outdoor facilities at the recreation centre, including the pitch.”
And given this “extensive use, there is a strong case, on an exceptional basis, for the department to pick up this shortfall in funding. We are therefore proposing that an allocation of the £30,000 funding shortfall is made to the EA.”
DE also wanted to know if funding should be “allocated to the school or directly to the club”
In response, the EA is now saying: “No funding has been allocated to Richhill AFC by EA.
“EA colleagues continue to engage with the relevant schools and provide support and advice, where appropriate.”
The deputy chair of Stormont’s education committee, Sinn Féin Fein MLA Pat Sheehan said: “Paul Givan needs to explain what changed.
“His officials advised that school use of this facility was limited and that it was not eligible under the Curriculum-Led Capital Investment Programme.
“Yet, within weeks, the department appears to argue that there is an exceptional case for a £30,000 contribution based on extensive use by local schools.
“At a time when schools across the North are waiting years for urgent health and safety repairs, with children sitting in classrooms with leaking roofs, many principals and parents will be asking how the department can be so proactive in a case like this.
“The minister needs to be transparent about how public funding decisions are made and reassure schools that funding is allocated fairly, consistently and on the basis of clear criteria.”
This newspaper previously reported how potentially hundreds of schools in need of roofing works have been left waiting since 2017.
That included two schools in Londonderry which had to close because their roofs posed a risk to the safety of children — St Eugene’s Primary closed in October 2024 and will remain closed until May 2027.
Another report revealed that no Catholic Maintained or Irish Medium school has had a newbuild in Derry for at least 14 years and two traditionally Protestant schools received millions more from the department and EA than eight majority Catholic schools.
DE and EA also approved funding for a new football pitch at Lisneal College months after a meeting was held with Mr Givan and his DUP colleague Gordon Lyons — when the school had not submitted a formal application. It got millions of pounds more for an extension at the same time.
Alliance MLA Nick Mathison, who chairs the education committee, said: “Significant questions remain around how the education department prioritises funding allocations for minor and major works projects.
“The safety of students and staff should be the top priority for the Education Minister and his department.
“It is completely unacceptable that schools have had to close, disrupting students’ education, because they have been unable to secure funding from the department for essential roof repairs.”
Mr Mathison has called for a review of the minor and major works process to ensure that “the most urgent health and safety risks” in schools are addressed as a top priority and that all capital funding allocations are made fairly and transparently.
SDLP MLA Cara Hunter it raises “serious questions for the Education Minister”.
“The department’s own correspondence appears to contain conflicting assessments of how extensively this facility is used by schools and whether it would qualify for education funding,” she added.
“We want every school to have access to quality sporting facilities, but when budgets are under such immense pressure, every pound of public money must be allocated fairly, transparently and on the basis of clear evidence.”
The department and Richhill AFC were contacted.
Posted Aug 18, 2026, 7:53 AM UTC