‘Rate-payers shouldn’t be funding a Limavady team’

COUNCIL has been criticised for scoring “an own goal” after it emerged that City of Derry Airport is funding a team from outside the local area.

Limavady United, situated within the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area, is currently being sponsored as part of a shirt deal by City of Derry Airport (CoDA). However, as CoDA is owned by Derry City and Strabane District Council and moreover, directly funded by rates paid by people in Strabane, the sponsorship deal has been lambasted as “crazy.”

Speaking this week, Strabane independent councillor, Paul Gallagher remarked that it would have made much more sense for CoDA – and by extension, Derry City and Strabane District Council – to put more funding into local sports teams.

He commented, “Money collected within the council area should be going toward sporting clubs and other vital services within the area. Ratepayers in Strabane and district pay for services in the council area out of their own pocket; surely it would make sense to keep the money here.

“Causeway Coast and Glens Council is richer than our council and gets far more tourists… Why are we sponsoring a team there?

“If the airport was being funded in some part by Causeway Coast and Glens you wouldn’t bat an eye-lid. But it’s not.”

Cllr Gallagher continued, “The big picture is, this team is getting sponsorship and that sponsorship is coming in no small part from the people of Strabane.

“It’s red card for the management of City of Derry Airport – an own goal.”

Cllr Gallagher pointed to local sports clubs which should be funded to a greater extent.

“There are teams in Strabane which don’t even have a proper arena to play their chosen sport in,” he added. “We have one of the best women’s football teams in Sion Swifts, yet they cannot play in Sion as the ground isn’t up to spec; what does that tell you about the way things are?”

When contacted for a response, CoDA senior marketing executive Maressa McWilliams highlighted that the airport undertakes advertising through billboards at a number of sporting venues across the council area such as St Joseph’s Boxing Club, Strabane Sigersons and Eglinton Cricket Club.

She added, “CoDA is here to serve everyone across the north west region and look for every opportunity to increase our passenger base, both within our catchment and beyond.”

Cllr Gallagher concluded, “The fact is, you can draw a direct line from ratepayers’ pockets in Strabane to the airport and straight to Limavady United. That’s money collected here which is leaving here, plain and simple.”