Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) has received financial assistance from National Lottery Association, Ireland.
The Lottery association funded the Irish football association with a whooping amount of £450,000. The gesture comes after the sporting events remained cancelled this year and a lot of clubs facing existential crisis.
The funding will allow the clubs to exist and operate in the future. All men’s and women’s clubs in the NIFL will each receive a share of the total.
The partnership between the lottery and football association will be reciprocated by the NIFL offering free tickets and VIP experiences to National Lottery players once the pandemic subsides and regular sporting events begin.
Irish Football Association CEO Patrick Nelson said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, football clubs are able to protect and enhance the crucial work they do serving their communities right across Northern Ireland”, reported Gambling Insider.
Gambling Insider reported Nigel Railton, CEO of National Lottery operator Camelot’s statement, which was: “The National Lottery and its players make a massive difference to communities across the UK day in, day out – and have been doing so for the past 26 years.”
“So we’re really delighted to be working with the Irish Football Association to support these incredibly important clubs in the Northern Ireland Football League, enabling them to continue playing such an important role in their local communities”, he added.