Draft Belfast Playing Pitches and Outdoor Sports Facilities Strategy

3.1 The improvement plan within this strategy is designed to maximise opportunities to realise the following Belfast Agenda outcomes so that, by 2035:

Belfast will be a city:

• where everyone benefits from a thriving and prosperous economy
• that is a welcoming, safe, fair and inclusive for all
• that is vibrant, attractive, connected and environmentally sustainable
• where everyone experiences good health and wellbeing
• where everyone fulfils their potential.

3.2 This strategy is a sub-strategy from our overarching strategy, the Belfast’s Physical Activity and Sport Development Strategy and is also aligned with Belfast’s Leisure Transformation Programme. 

3.3 The Belfast’s Physical Activity and Sport Development Strategy outlines our plan to increase participation in physical activity and sport, and strengthen the local sporting infrastructure, which in turn will improve health and wellbeing. 

3.4 The draft Belfast Playing Pitches and Outdoor Sports Facilities Strategy supports our overarching strategy by providing the outdoor sports facility, playing pitch infrastructure, and partnership connections for organised sport. 

Strategic vision, aims, and priorities

3.5 Our vision for playing pitches and outdoor sports facilities is:

“A city with sufficient, quality and accessible facilities, which are able to adapt to changing user needs over time and help inspire residents to participate in outdoor sports on a regular and sustained basis.”

3.6 This strategy aims to improve the quality, accessibility and offering of outdoor playing facilities. It will minimise barriers where possible and maximise the number of Belfast residents playing organised, outdoor sports.  It will contribute to our wider sports development and corporate goals, particularly in respect of improved health and wellbeing and vibrant and connected communities.

Scope

3.7 In 2023-2024, while establishing a baseline in advance of the development of this strategy, our officers, supported by Otium Consulting, carried out an online survey of Belfast sports clubs.  A total of 80 clubs returned surveys, representative of 11 sports. The 11 sports were:

• American football
• athletics
• basketball
• cricket
• cycling 
• Gaelic games
• hockey
• lawn bowls
• rugby
• soccer
• softball.

3.8 Apart from hockey, all sports surveyed currently utilise one of our facilities at least part of the time. All the sports listed are within the scope of this ten-year strategy. However, given the high volume of participants in soccer and Gaelic games and the significant gap between supply and demand as evidenced below, it has been agreed that these two sports will be the primary focus of the first phase of the strategy. Improvement plan actions identified under the facility priority, including capital investment, will be prioritised towards closing the supply gap for these two sports during years one to four.

Table 1: Participation levels

Table 2: Supply versus demand (*this includes private pitches and other pitches that are not available for club bookings)

Regional context

3.9 Preparation of the strategy has been undertaken within the context of, and informed by, a range of regional and local approaches to the provision of playing pitches and outdoor sports facilities. Five strategies are key to this work. They are: 

• Programme for Government (draft), Northern Ireland (NI) Executive 
• Active Living: Sport and Physical Activity Strategy for NI,  Department for Communities 
• The Power of Sport: Corporate Plan 2021-2026, Sport NI 
• The Belfast Agenda 2035, Belfast City Council 
• Belfast’s Physical Activity and Sport Development Strategy (draft 2026), Belfast City Council.

3.10 Encouragingly, the findings below highlight key themes within these strategies that align directly with our Playing Pitches and Outdoor Sports Facilities Strategy, as well as the Belfast Agenda. These themes emphasise the importance and benefits of:

• not only sport, but physical activity more generally, in improving the health and wellbeing and quality of life of citizens
• partnerships working in achieving long-term objectives and goals
• capital investment in high-quality sport and physical activity infrastructure
• community involvement and the development of well-connected communities through sport
• equality, and the need to encourage and support participation among underrepresented groups, who often have the lowest participation in sport and experience poor some of the worst health outcomes.

3.11 Sustained focus and commitment from all relevant stakeholders on these key cross-cutting themes offers a significant opportunity to improve the health, wellbeing and overall quality of life of citizens across Belfast and the wider Northern Ireland region. Given the significant budgetary pressures facing all sectors, maintaining focus, securing much needed investment, and working together to maximises resources and ensure timely delivery, will be essential if the aims and objectives of these strategies are to become a reality.

Strategic factors to consider

3.12 Several factors have influenced development of this strategy.

• Belfast's population increased by nearly a third between 2011 and 2022. This growth was driven in part by local government reform in 2015, which increased Belfast’s population by approximately 53,000 because of boundary changes alone.
• Changing demographics and the need to ensure equality of opportunity across all sections of the community.
• Growing interest in team sports, particularly post-COVID and amongst children and women. This is largely as a result of successful sports development initiatives delivered by local authorities, sports clubs, Sport NI and sport’s governing bodies, together with the increased visibility of female sporting role models.   
• The availability and popularity of 3G surfaces as an alternative to natural grass pitches. These pitches are typically floodlit, have a substantially higher playing capacity than natural grass surfaces and, subject to appropriate maintenance, have an average lifespan of 10 to 12 years. For the purposes of the baseline for this strategy, a 3G pitch is deemed to have a weekly capacity for use (carrying capacity) of 32 hours (Monday to Friday 6pm to 10pm, plus 12 hours at weekends) over 46 weeks per year, amounting to 1,472 hours annually. This is a recognised approach to assessing carrying capacity (for calculations of supply and demand) and reflects the fact that pitch usage outside these periods is generally very unpopular with clubs.  
• It is critical to keep abreast of ongoing developments, risks and upgrades required, particularly in light of concerns relating to rubber crumb infill and the planned EU restrictions on its use from 2032. This is essential to ensure that facilities remain safe, effective and represent value for money.
• The limited capacity of natural grass surfaces, typically estimated at 160 hours per season or four hours per week. This capacity is often further reduced during winter season and generally accommodates no more than two or three matches per week, followed by a three-to-four month recovery period during the summer. The carrying capacity of a natural grass pitch is determined by a range of technical issues such as drainage and the maintenance regime. 
• Very high demand for floodlit 3G pitches for winter training. We have several large multi-sport pitches, installed as part of the first pitches strategy, which can accommodate both Gaelic games and soccer. Existing usage agreements often result in these facilities being heavily booked by soccer clubs to the detriment of Gaelic clubs who struggle to find alternatives. Increasing GAA usage at these sites could, in some circumstances, displace soccer activity and would therefore require careful management.
• The spatial and financial constraints faced by sports clubs when seeking to develop facilities to respond to increasing demand. 
• The need to maximise the use of land while maintaining adequate levels of open spaces in parks and other public areas. This helps ensure vital elements of urban life, health and wellbeing are protected for informal sport, play, recreation and relaxation. This is particularly significant given that statistics from Belfast’s Physical Activity and Sports Development Strategy indicate that walking is the most popular form of physical activity with 65 per cent of residents using walking to stay active. Insufficient time was also cited as one of the top barriers to sports participation. Therefore, combining informal sport and recreation such as walking, running and cycling at sites for organised outdoor sport, presents an opportunity for spectators and care givers to maximise their time and exercise whilst others are participating in the team sporting activity.
• Land availability is a critical factor influencing the development of playing pitches and outdoor sports facilities. While Belfast’s population continues to grow, the availability of council-owned land suitable for sporting pitch development does not. We must therefore maximise the potential of its existing land resources and consider how partners in all sectors can collaborate to support pitch developments.
• The land requirement for a full-size soccer pitch requires 5,856 metres squared (m sq), compared with 12,600m sq for a full-size GAA pitch. This difference places additional pressure on the availability of suitable land within our estate for future sports facility development.