THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION of Ireland has welcomed the Department of Sport’s funding for design fees to a sum of €304,000 for Finn Harps’ new stadium project in Stranorlar.

The initiative is part of a new five-year strategic plan to create a sustainable development of all aspects for SSE Airtricity League clubs.

Finn Harps’ stadium committee, in tandem with FAI Facilities Development Manager Walter Holleran, have worked to redesign the plans for the new stadium in order to obtain government funding.

“This is a fantastic development for Finn Harps and I’d like to thank the Department of Sport for their support of the project and the allocation of funding,” FAI CEO John Delaney said.

“The association has worked closely with the club to help redesign the plans in order to obtain this crucial funding for their new stadium project.

“It’s fantastic to see the club work towards their strategic plan and this is a great reward for the hard work of everyone connected to the project.”

Finn Harps chairman Sean Quinn added: “We’d like to thank the FAI, and in particular CEO John Delaney, for his continued support of the new stadium project. This would not have been possible without the involvement of the FAI and the CEO.

“Their guidance and expertise has been crucial in developing a plan which the Department of Sport would approve funding for, and now we look forward to the next phase of the project.

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“The development of the stadium is key for Finn Harps, the county of Donegal and the north west region in general. We have worked hard to rejuvenate this project and we are delighted to see it progress. We would like to thank the Department for seeing our vision for the new stadium.

“We will continue to work closely with the FAI for the duration of the project as we look to progress to the next stages of the project.”

Plans for the new stadium had been in place as far back as 2004, with work stalling in 2014, despite part of a stand being erected.

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