Ministers visited the home of Cliftonville's Solitude and Glentoran's famous The Oval ground – just two of the clubs hoping to benefit from the launch of the long-delayed sub-regional pot.
Andrew and Lyons also visited Windsor Park where they were welcomed by the Chief Executives of the Irish FA and NI Football League – Patrick Nelson and Gerard Lawlor – as well as Irish FA Chairman Conrad Kirkwood and NIFL Chairman Colin Kennedy.
Minister Lyons said: “I am delighted to host today's visit by UK Minister for Sport Stuart Andrew, in line with the commitment to the Sub-Regional Football Program set out in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper.
“We heard the passion and enthusiasm of those involved in the game, from young players to leaders in sports organisations.
“The demand for change is clear at all levels of the game.
“It was also great for us to see first-hand the importance of grassroots investment and the Sub-Regional Football Programme. By investing in sport, we invest in lives. It has the power to bring people together, as players on the field and as fans in the stands. There is a real opportunity here to maximize health, social and economic benefits.
“I look forward to continuing the dialogue with Minister Andrew and all our local stakeholders and partners to ensure the right supports are in place to grow the game sustainably.”
Sport Secretary Stuart Andrew said: “Sport is vital to our physical and mental wellbeing, which is why we are investing more than £325m across the UK to give people access to high-quality grassroots sports facilities.
“This includes support in Northern Ireland and it was good to meet with Minister Lyons to hear their plans to build on this further and strengthen the grassroots up to the elite levels of the game.”
The NI Football League said: “We are delighted to welcome the Minister for Sport, the Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP along with the Minister for Communities Gordon Lyons MLA to NIFL HQ today as part of a series of meetings on the delivery of the Sub-Programme Regional Stadium.
The sub-regional scheme was first launched in 2011, with £36.2 million earmarked for football in Northern Ireland in 2015. After a decade of delays, there is now renewed optimism that the funding will be released this year.
However, football chiefs are keen to secure additional funding for facilities in Northern Ireland. NIFL chief Gerard Lawlor has previously said the club game needs more than £100m of funding.
