Limavady Wolfhounds GAC launch largest ever fundraiser

Limavady Wolfhounds G.A.C's Club Development Committee has just launched a new fundraising initiative to help raise as much cash as possible for the development of the club's grounds.
This is the largest fundraiser in the club's 43 year history as they embark on a new development project that is set to cost around £700,000.

The current Development Committee was formed in 2009 and at that point, the club didn't own its own grounds - they were leased to them by Limavady Parish. 

Niall MacFlynn, Chairman of the Club Development Committee explained that at that time, the number one objective was to either try and buy the grounds that were leased, or identify new grounds elsewhere that could provide a permanent home for the club. 

Limavady parish offered to sell the grounds to the club in 2014 and - with the help of another fundraising initiative, The Nifty 150 - the project was completed in 2019 and the club became proud owners of their own grounds.
The last piece of ground that the club bought, known around the club as the 'horse field' sits directly behind the main pitch. It is an area of rough, hilly ground that the club has now owned for four years. Some work has been carried out since; the site was cleared and levelled just after Covid, but any fundraising activity to develop it further was severely hampered by the pandemic.

Having lost all momentum as a result of Covid, Niall explained that the Club Development Committee is now fully refocussed and back on track to raise the funds requited for further development and to cement the club’s place as a central hub in the local Gaelic Games community.

Niall said: "This next phase will see us develop the 'horse field' into a second playing pitch along with a training area, floodlighting and fencing, all of which will cost approximately £700,000 to complete. 

"At the moment there is a shortage of grant funding available - especially in urban areas, but we can’t wait around any longer to see what transpires, we need to push on. The Club Development Committee made a decision this year that we were going to launch our biggest fundraiser.

"We have a total prize pot of £31,000, with a Brand New MINI Cooper Hatchback as the star prize. The campaign is now live, with the draw taking place on the 27th of April 2024. 

“Being realistic, we won't raise the full £700,00 with this campaign, but our goal is to raise as much cash as we possibly can between now and April that will allow us to make a significant start and get the project moving. We are reaching out to everybody in the Limavady community and our fellow Gaels around the county to dig deep, get behind us and help us deliver a successful campaign.

“We’ve had incredible buy in from our own club members, where we have 190 committed sellers actively selling tickets for the club with tickets also available online via the club’s website – limavadywolfhounds.com - One ticket costs £20, four tickets cost £50 and for £100, you receive 10 tickets.

“The club would also like to thank the huge support given by all those attending the championship games over the last number of weeks at both Celtic Park and Owenbeg. “The response to our fundraiser was amazing and we’d like to thank all of those who bought tickets over those weekends.”

Niall explained that the club, formed in 1980, is still a relatively young and is still very much in the development stage.

"Many other clubs have been around for 100 plus years, 43 years isn't a long time in comparison," he continued.

"To see where we have come, from when it was first set up to where we are today, it has been amazing.
"We're still building. we're still growing. Limavady is a big town and the Committee is really focused on growth and establishing our grounds as a permanent home for Gaelic games.
"It is important for us to guarantee the future of the club for todays' generation and future generations."