GAA clubs in North Belfast have come together to urge Belfast City Council to address the lack of pitches for the sport in the area.

Currently, Cliftonville Playing Fields is the only facility used for GAA games in North Belfast, at a time when demand for the pitch has risen as the popularity of football, hurling and camogie has soared in the north of the city.

GAA has also been played at Grove Playing Fields, situated between Alexander Park Avenue and Skegoneill Avenue, but was the scene of intimidation by a group of loyalists in 2020.

An anti-GAA banner appeared at the park as well as graffiti, which police treated as a hate incident.

Clubs have now formed the North Belfast GAA pitch forum, made up of local clubs including Ardoyne Kickhams GAC, Pearses GAC and Wolfe Tones GAC, along with local elected representatives.

Conor Barnes from Ardoyne Kickhams GAC is calling on Belfast City Council to address the lack of GAA pitch provision in North Belfast.

"In North Belfast, there has been an exponential growth in GAA and in particular, ladies football and camogie," he explained.

"At our club, we went from six teams in 2009 to now having 26. We have six senior teams alone. Pearses have grown as well.

"Cliftonville Playing Fields is not a GAA pitch. It is a multi-use pitch and can facilitate all sports. It is constantly booked out and no room for growth.

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"The bottom line is that one facility is not going to cut it anymore.

"We approached Belfast City Council to try and get a meeting sorted to get some sort of plan in place about how we can provide better facilities for GAA in North Belfast.

"We are part of a group known as the North Belfast GAA pitch forum, with Ardoyne GAC, Pearses GAC and Wolfe Tones GAC all represented along with local elected reps.

"A report from Council themselves back in 2011 highlighted there was a deficit of GAA pitches in the Belfast City Council area and a surplus of soccer pitches. This is now evident due to the growth of GAA across the city.

"I would call on Belfast City Council to open up the avenues of discussion with us and find solutions for us to facilitate the growth of GAA in North Belfast."

In a letter to the North Belfast News this week, Stephen McCourt, Chairperson of Wolfe Tones GAC accused Belfast City Council of being "guilty of imposing other sports on the pitch to the detriment of Gaelic games provision".

"Ardoyne Kickhams has grown exponentially, Pearses has significantly increased its membership and Wolfe Tones has resurfaced with a strong playing membership base.

"There are now roughly around 55 Gaelic games teams in the North Belfast area. Each individual club can claim to be one of the largest sports providers in the entirety of North Belfast. 

"In the North Belfast area, despite having thousands of members, the entire Gaelic games family is serviced by one single-use public Gaelic games facility. Belfast City Council are now guilty of imposing other sports on the pitch to the detriment of Gaelic games provision. 

"To go further, if you live in the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council (ANBC) area, you will have access to a mighty number of zero single-use Gaelic games pitches." 

DISCUSSION: A meeting of North Belfast Pitches Forum took place this week
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DISCUSSION: A meeting of North Belfast Pitches Forum took place this week

SDLP councillor Carl Whyte said Belfast City council "urgently needed" a new pitches strategy with "particular attention to the growth of Gaelic games in North Belfast".

"That means an immediate review of existing council-owned spaces to identify where a new GAA pitch can be provided," he said.  "As we've seen with East Belfast GAA, there is a template for the growth of GAA facilities in an inclusive way – the same can be replicated in the North of the city." 

Sinn Féin councillor Michael Goodman said: "North Belfast GAA Pitch Forum had our second meeting at Ardoyne Kickhams on Monday night ahead of a planned meeting with Belfast City Council which has now been cancelled.

"I met with Newtownabbey and North Belfast GAA clubs to discuss lack of facilities, access to existing facilities and how to improve the situation.

"There were some good ideas discussed for the future and we look forward to supporting these crucial community activists and their clubs."