Cookstown Fr Rocks Clubhouse Renovation Project

Aim

We are crowdfunding to upgrade our clubhouse, modernise changing facilities, and improve our community gym for over 1000+ users each week

Who are we?

Our Club is located on Convent Road, Cookstown Co Tyrone BT80 8DH. Formed in 1889, the Club is the oldest Club in County Tyrone. The Club has close to 700 members, which includes 400+ youth members and near 300 female members.

We have over 25 teams, as follows: Go Games (U7 to U10): 8 boys teams and 4 girls teams; Youth (U11 to U18): 4 boys teams and 6 girls teams; Adult teams: 1 Male team and 3 female teams.

Cookstown Fr Rocks has been the central focal point within the GAA community in Cookstown since forming in 1889 (5 years after the formation of the GAA). When augmented with a range of secondary activities including Scor, community health & wellbeing programmes, older persons social events at their facilities, walking/jogging group etc the Club reach far exceeds 1,000+ people both directly and indirectly.

Ultimately, as a GAA Club the main purpose, aims and objectives of Cookstown Fr Rocks GFC is to promote GAA activities within all Club programmes. The club achieves this by playing a significant role in community-driven core GAA activity, leisure, cross-community activities, Irish culture, and the general wellbeing within their catchment across Cookstown. The club also achieves this by providing facilities, programmes and initiatives for all in and around the catchment of Cookstown.

A major purpose of the Club is to ensure that we are open and inclusive to all within the ethos of the GAA. As such, a major aim of the Club is to deliver programmes that promote this inclusivity going forward to groups traditionally excluded from GAA facilities and those underrepresented in sport (such as females, young people, persons with disabilities, minority ethnics, older people living isolated in the community of Cookstown). We do this by providing GAA facilities, programmes and initiatives as noted, as well as volunteering opportunities so people can stay involved in the club outside playing opportunities. 

Through the Club's facilities and the social, physical, and recreational activity offered by the Clubs dedicated team of volunteers, the Club has been central to overseeing the development of the GAA within the local Cookstown area. Not just by meeting the sporting needs of the community but also by meeting the social, wellbeing, and cultural needs of the community that surrounds the Club.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We have nearly 700 members, 25+ teams, and a fast-growing number of female and youth players. Every week, hundreds of people take part in training, matches, and health and wellbeing activities at our ground. But our facilities are now at breaking point. With just one grass pitch, outdated changing rooms, and a small gym, we are struggling to meet the demand from our own club members and the many community groups who also rely on us.

We are fundraising to renovate our clubhouse, modernise changing facilities, and upgrade our community gym, which is all part of our wider Club development. This will allow us to create safe, inclusive, and future-proof facilities for everyone who uses them. For example, our facilities are used by a wide range of groups from across Cookstown. Alongside our own near 700 members who train, play, and use the gym and indoor spaces every week, Holy Trinity Primary School brings 300 pupils for PE and after-school sport five times per week. Tullagh Óg Hurling and Camogie Club use the pitch, gym, and changing facilities three to four times a week for around 40 participants. Gaelscoil Eoghain brings 150 pupils two to three times per week, while Phoenix Integrated Primary School, with 200 children, also uses the facilities once a month. Holy Trinity Secondary School relies heavily on our club, with over 700 pupils using the pitch, gym, and changing rooms for PE, after-school sport, and matches five times per week. On top of that, the Superstars Community Group delivers inclusive sport and wellbeing activities for around 20 young people with special needs.

It is clear that our Club is more than a GAA club – our facilities are a vital community hub for sporting health and well being.

Our facilities are outdated, overstretched, and no longer fit for purpose. With only one grass pitch, we are forced to hire outside venues at significant cost. Our changing rooms are too small and unsuitable for female players, making it difficult to run male and female sessions at the same time. The gym is basic and insecure, which limits wider community use. Indoor spaces are dated and cannot cope with demand from schools and community groups. Our electrical infrastructure is old, inefficient, and causes outeages regulary. Without fundraising, we cannot provide the modern, inclusive facilities our members and community deserve.

How This Aligns with the Olympic Legacy Fund

The Olympic Legacy Fund supports projects that increase participation, modernise facilities, and create inclusive community spaces. Our project does exactly that.

It will increase participation by giving more young people, especially girls, the chance to train and play in safe, modern spaces. It will make our facilities fully inclusive, with modern changing rooms and a secure, accessible gym that can be used by women, older people, people with disabilities, and minority communities. It will deliver broad community benefit, since our facilities are used every week by schools surrounding us in Cookstown, youth groups, community groups, and local sports clubs. It will improve health and wellbeing by giving more opportunities for fitness, sport, and social activity, tackling isolation and promoting good mental health. And it will be sustainable, as modern, efficient facilities will reduce running costs and support long-term community use.

Through this fundraising, we can create safe, modern facilities that will serve thousands of people in Cookstown for years to come. Every pledge will also unlock 65% match-funding from Sport NI, making your support go even further.

How we’ll spend the money raised

Every penny pledged will go directly into improving our facilities so that more people in Cookstown can enjoy safe, modern, and inclusive spaces for sport and community activity.

Our fundraising target is £49,920. If we raise 35% Sport NI will contribute 65% through the Olympic Legacy Fund.  

Here’s how our fundraising breaksdown:

Generator – £17,000
To provide reliable power for our floodlights, ensuring training and games can continue safely during the darker winter months.

Home Changing Upgrade – £8,000
Modernising the home changing rooms to meet the needs of all players, including our fast-growing number of female members.

Away Changing – £3,000
Upgrading away team changing facilities so we can welcome visiting teams with proper, modern spaces.

Store Room Conversion to Gym Changing – £7,100
Creating new changing facilities linked to the gym, making the space more secure and inclusive for community users.

Gym Refresh – £2,000
Updating and improving our community gym so it can be used safely by people of all ages and abilities.

Internal Painting – £4,500
Refreshing tired internal spaces, including community rooms, so they are welcoming and fit for wider community use.

Total Project Cost: £49,920

Community impact

We are more than a sports club- We are community hub at the heart of Cookstown. Our facilities are used by 1000s each week, reaching far beyond our own members. By upgrading and modernising our spaces, we will create benefits for the whole community, not just those who play Gaelic games.

Our own near 700 members use the pitch, gym, indoor spaces and changing rooms every week. With 25+ teams, from boys and girls through to senior men and women, our facilities are in constant demand. 

But we are not the only ones who rely on them. The following highlights our wider impact through weekly community use:

- Holy Trinity Primary School (300 pupils) uses our pitch, indoor hall, and changing facilities five times a week for PE and after-school sport.

- Tullagh Óg Hurling and Camogie Club (40 players) trains here three to four times a week, using the pitch, gym, and changing spaces.

- Gaelscoil Eoghain (150 pupils) comes two to three times per week for PE, sport, and cross-community activities.

- Phoenix Integrated Primary School (200 pupils) also uses the facilities monthly for PE and sports programmes.

- Holy Trinity Secondary School (700 pupils) relies heavily on our club, with daily use for PE, matches, after-school sport, and gym training.

- Superstars Community Group (20 young people with special needs) delivers inclusive sport, health, and wellbeing activities in our indoor spaces, gym, and pitch.

Together, this means more than 1,000s outside of our Club membership across Cookstown benefit from our facilities every year.

And it doesn’t stop at sport. Our clubhouse and indoor spaces are also used for community health and wellbeing programmes, cultural activities, social gatherings, older persons’ groups, and volunteering opportunities. These activities bring people together, help tackle isolation, and create connections across different age groups and backgrounds.

By fundraising to modernise our clubhouse, improve changing facilities, and refresh our community gym, we are not just helping our own members – we are supporting local schools, other sports clubs, people with disabilities, older people, and families across Cookstown.

This project will ensure that everyone in the community has a safe, welcoming, and inclusive place to be active, healthy, and connected.

How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made