The Naomh Padraig GAA club in Lifford are embarking on a major development of their club grounds at Pairc Mac Diarmada.
Naomh Padraig are staging a launch on Monday night next at the Lifford Cinema to showcase their plans to members, supporters and the general public.
The ambitious development of the facilities at the Roughan, costing around €400,000 will see the addition of two sand-based pitches – a playing pitch and a training pitch – the construction of two new changing rooms, two disabled toilets and a conference room.
“This is just something that had to be done – it’s the biggest development in our history,” Naomh Padraig PRO Marty McHugh said.
“The aim of this launch is to inform the public of the progress that has already been made, the plans to transform our grounds into state of the art facilities and how everyone has a part to play, no part to big or small.
“We want to bring people along to put the information out there and to get people on board; maybe people who haven’t been involved before can learn that there’s a part to play or we can entice past members back again.
“Since the current facilities were opened in 2003, there has been no infrastructural change to the grounds. It’s something that we have been lacking.
“We haven’t been able to train on our own pitch through the winter and that’s one of the aims of what we’ve been doing.”
The surface was damaged by flooding last winter when four foot of water engulfed the pitch.
Now, though, Naomh Padraig are pressing ahead with their big development, having been granted €99,000 recently by the Sports Capital programme. The club has been given grant assistance of up to €70,000 from other sources, including Donegal County Council, while they have raised an additional €100,000 from their own ventures.
“We do need to push on and raise a lot more,” McHugh said.
Donegal’s 1992 All-Ireland winning captain Anthony Molloy will be the special guest for Monday’s launch.
McHugh said: “There is a strong history of GAA in the parish. The GAA has always been there and, while the club has had some struggles, our aim is to keep it there and keep it thriving.”
Monday’s launch gets underway at 7.45pm.
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