Replacing Old Pitch Fencing at Tattyreagh GAA Club

Aim

Replacing old damaged fencing around our pitch- To improve safety, protect the pitch, and support more games, visitors, and community events

Who are we?

Tattyreagh is a small rural hamlet situated half way between Omagh and Fintona, in County Tyrone, the towns are approximately 5 miles on either side of Tattyreagh. Our facilities are the focal point for this tight-knit community. 

Our club has never been stronger on or off the field. Our objectives are clear and simple to involve the whole community and continue to build an organisation in which we can all participate and benefit from. 

Our club has over 500 members across boys, girls, men’s, ladies’ football and camogie, supported by 200+ local households. We are one of the few clubs of our size, locally and nationally, with just a single main grass pitch. This pitch already supports 15+ teams and is central to the sporting and community life of Tattyreagh. With demand continuing to grow — particularly a 20% annual rise in female participation — pressure on our facilities is greater than ever.

We cater for all GAA activities as well as communities programmes through our shared gym facility and walking trail. Current user groups of our projects and facility includes the Tattyreagh 5-mile Road Race/5k Fun Run/Walk Committee (cross community event), Tattyreagh Youth and Community Group (cross community group), Tattyreagh Cycling Club (cross community group), Irish Dancing Group, Tyrone Camogie Association, local Toddlers group, local Pilates group (cross-community), Sacred Heart Primary School Tattyreagh and Tattyreagh mens/hens shed. 

Our 2022 to 2027 club plan is about club and community and to provide access to social, leisure, cultural and sporting facilities for all. We are determined to build on the work of previous generations and to continue moving forward.

We are dedicated to ensuring that our games and values enrich the lives of our members, families and the communities we serve. We are committed to active lifelong participation for all and to providing the best facilities. We actively seek to engage with and include all members of our society. 

We promote individual development and well-being, and strive to enable our members to achieve their full potential in their chosen roles. 

Our vision is that everyone be welcome to participate fully in our games and culture, that they thrive and develop their potential, and be inspired to keep a lifelong engagement with our association.

Why are we crowdfunding?

At present, our main pitch has damaged old outdated fencing. There is no proper spectator fencing currently. This creates three challenges:

Safety risks: With large numbers of children, families, and supporters attending matches, the absence of suitable barriers between the playing surface and viewing areas increases the risk of injury and accidents.

Pitch protection: Overuse and uncontrolled access contribute to surface damage, compounding the difficulties we already face in maintaining our only main pitch. In recent years, we’ve spent over £15,000 on surface repairs and maintenance, but this is not sustainable.

Restricted growth: Without a safe, well-managed playing environment, we cannot confidently host more fixtures, community events, or youth tournaments, all of which are vital to our development.

Crowdfunding for new updated (replacing existing) spectator fencing will help us address these challenges. The fencing will create a safe, defined boundary, protecting both players and supporters, while also safeguarding the pitch surface for training and competitive use. This will give us the confidence to host more games — including youth blitzes, women’s fixtures, and visiting teams — and enable more families and community members to participate in sport and physical activity.

We cannot fund this project alone. Crowdfunding gives us a way to involve our members, families, and the wider community in delivering this essential upgrade, while also unlocking match funding through the Olympic Legacy Fund.

Our project is all about modernising our facilities, improving safety, and directly encouraging more participation in physical activity here in Tattyreagh. It will leave a lasting legacy for our club and community by protecting our only pitch, enabling sustained growth across boys’, girls’, and women’s teams, and ensuring that Tattyreagh continues to be a hub for sport and community activity for years to come.

The Olympic Legacy Fund

Sport NI will match fund 65% of our project through the Olympic Legacy Fund. This is designed to modernise community sports facilities, improve the quality of facilities, and encourage more people to engage in sport and physical activity. Our project meets these aims in the following ways:

Facility modernisation: Installing updated new spectator fencing (replacing old fencing) is a permanent upgrade that improves the safety, usability, and sustainability of our only main grass pitch, ensuring it can meet current and future demand.

Encouraging participation: By creating a safer environment for players and spectators, we can host more games and community events, increase attendance, and grow participation, particularly among youth and female teams, where demand is highest.

Community legacy: The fencing will protect the pitch from damage, reduce costly repairs, and safeguard access for over 500 members and 200+ local households. It will leave a lasting impact by enabling the club to continue to grow and to welcome more families, schools, and community groups.

Value for money: Our club has already invested heavily in pitch maintenance and external hire, but these costs are not sustainable. This project is a targeted investment that addresses the root issues, ensuring long-term benefits and financial sustainability.

In short, the project is not just about fencing; it is about creating the conditions for safe, accessible, and sustainable participation in sport, which is at the heart of the Olympic Legacy Fund’s objectives.

How we’ll spend the money raised

Every pound raised will go directly towards installing new spectator fencing around our main pitch. We have secured a professional quotation to ensure accuracy and value for money. The costs are:

Spectator fencing (466m, 1.2m high, galvanised and powder-coated): £30,732.70

Groundworks (coring of footpath, auger new post foundation): £5,009.50

Double leaf gates (x2, 4m wide): £2,650.00

Single leaf gates (x4, 1.2m wide): £2,440.00

Subtotal (ex VAT): £40,832.20

Total (inc VAT): £48,998.64

Your donations, combined with 65% support from the Olympic Legacy Fund, will allow us to deliver this essential project. It will improve safety for players and spectators, protect our only main pitch, and support the continued growth of sport and community activity in Tattyreagh.

Community impact

Our club facilities are more than just GAA pitches – they are a shared community resource that brings people together across sport, education, culture, and wellbeing. With over 500 members, 15 teams and strong growth in youth and female participation, the club itself benefits hugely from safe, modern facilities. But the impact goes much further.

The pitches and grounds are regularly used by Sacred Heart Primary School Tattyreagh, McClintock Primary School Seskinore and Arvalee School and Resource Centre (Special School). Local community and youth organisations such as Tattyreagh Youth & Community Group, Seskinore Rural Community Group and Fintona Community Forum also rely on our facilities.

Our grounds support a wide range of sporting activity beyond our own members, including Fintona Swifts FC, Neuro Diverse FC, Tyrone GAA, Tyrone Camogie, Killyclogher GAA and Omagh Triathlon Club. Cultural and voluntary organisations such as Fintona Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, Omagh Probation Board NI, Fintona Angling Association and the Run for Enda Charity also make use of the space. In addition, several local rural businesses including Cheeky Fox Restaurant, Lagan Energy Engineering, Darcy Bros and AJS Promotions have partnered with us to run staff wellbeing programmes and community events.

By investing in this project, we are not just protecting our pitch and improving safety for players and supporters. We are strengthening a community hub that supports schools, offers opportunities for young people, promotes female participation, provides inclusive activities for people with disabilities and serves local groups, charities and businesses. This fencing project will leave a long-term legacy by making our grounds safer, more welcoming and better equipped to serve everyone in Tattyreagh and the wider area.

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