Raphoe Community Sport Development has today been announced as the winner of the Sports category in the National Lottery Good Causes Awards.
They also receive €10,000.
The group was established in 2013 with the ambition of building a new football pitch for Raphoe Town FC and all the community.
Before it was founded, the children and adults playing football for Raphoe never had a home ground to play on. Players sometimes had to complete a full season playing all their games away at the opposition teams’ pitches.
After years without having a home ground to call their own, the Raphoe committee decided it was time for change. Funds raised by National Lottery players enabled the east Donegal club to build a playing pitch that would finally give their local teams a home ground to play on. The club has flourished ever since and is now home to over 160 active members and 16 teams of both male and female players.
The National Lottery Good Causes Awards honour the inspiring work and achievements of thousands of projects, clubs and individuals from all over Ireland who, with the help of lottery funding, have had an extraordinary impact on their local communities.
Due to Covid, this year’s awards ceremony took place virtually with finalists tuning in from the comfort of their own homes across the country. Grainne Seoige hosted the event live from the Round Room at the Mansion House in Dublin and was joined by an array of familiar faces to present each of the awards to the category winners.
Rugby player, Conor Murray, presented the prestigious Award to Raphoe Community Sport Development remotely at this afternoon’s event.
Andrew Algeo, Chief Executive of the National Lottery said: “I would like to congratulate all of the team at Raphoe Community Sport Development as well as our other six category winners who have all had a tremendous impact within each of their communities. The past year has been a challenge for towns and villages all over Ireland and these groups have gone above and beyond for those around them. It is such an inspiration to see the amazing work being done in every corner of the country by such a variety of groups who benefit from Good Causes funding.”
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