Olympic Legacy Fund has provided £32,500 of match funding
Lisburn Pavilion Redevelopment
Lisburn, United Kingdom
Aim
Lisburn CC aim to use this support from The Sport NI Olympic Legacy Fund to help the modernisation of our current pavilion.
Who We Are
Lisburn Cricket Club is the oldest cricket club in Northern Ireland and the third oldest in Ireland, with a proud history dating back to 1836. Celebrating our 188th year in the 2024 season, we are a volunteer-led community organisation at the heart of Wallace Park, Lisburn. Over the past decade, we have grown significantly and now support over 400 members, including 300 youth players and 120 women and girls, across 9 senior and 9 junior teams.
Our club is more than just a place to play cricket. We run a comprehensive schools outreach programme across 10 primary and 3 secondary schools, a Young Leaders initiative that develops 14–18-year-olds into future coaches and volunteers, and the only disability cricket programme in the Northern Cricket Union, in partnership with Hillsborough Boys FC. The clubhouse is also used by neighbouring clubs such as South Antrim Hockey, Hillsborough Boys FC, and Lisburn Hawks Softball, and by local charities who regularly use it free of charge for fundraising events.
With this strong base, Lisburn Cricket Club has become a unique and inclusive community hub, using cricket as a tool to bring people together and break down barriers.
What is the Sport NI Olympic Legacy Fund?
The Olympic Legacy Fund is a £1million pound investment programme, delivered by Sport NI in partnership with Crowdfunder UK. The fund aims to improve the quality of equipment and/or modernise facilities at community sports organisations, encouraging people to engage in sport and physical activity. Supported projects will leave a lasting community legacy from the success of Northern Ireland athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic/Paralympic Games
Why This Project Matters
Our clubhouse is at the centre of everything we do — but it is no longer fit for the size and diversity of our membership or the number of community groups who use it. At present, the layout of the clubhouse is inefficient, with the bar located at the far end of the room, taking up valuable space that could be used for members, spectators, and community events.
By redeveloping the inner clubhouse space — moving the bar to beside the toilets, reconfiguring the floor plan, and creating a more open and flexible layout — we will be able to:
Welcome more people into sport and physical activity: A larger, better-configured social space allows us to host bigger events, attract new members, and encourage greater participation in cricket.
For example, we could host table cricket sessions indoors, offering an inclusive format of the game for people with disabilities and mobility challenges.
In summer 2024, the NCU held their first disability cricket event in partnership with Hillsborough Boys FC at our clubhouse. With a redeveloped indoor space, Lisburn CC would be able to take forward similar initiatives independently, embedding disability cricket into our core offer.
More space also means we can host a variety of community events, all of which are essential for sustaining participation.
Strengthen our community role: The clubhouse’s location in Wallace Park gives us a unique opportunity to act as a community hub in an open public park. Redeveloping the space will allow us to expand partnerships with neighbouring clubs, charities, and community groups, supporting events that go far beyond cricket.
Futureproof the club for growth: With membership more than doubling since 2017, our facilities must evolve to match demand. An improved clubhouse will support our long-term development and enable us to deliver sustainable programmes for youth, women and girls, and disability cricket.
Our Project
The project will redevelop the inner clubhouse to make it more space-efficient and accessible for everyone. The main change will involve moving the bar from the far end of the clubhouse to beside the toilets, freeing up valuable space in the main area for events, training, and community use.
This redevelopment will:
Create a larger, more flexible central space for social events, coaching workshops, youth leadership sessions, and community fundraisers.
Enable the club to host bigger groups on matchdays and at cricket festivals, improving the experience for families, spectators, and visitors.
Provide a more welcoming and inclusive environment for partner clubs and charities who use the space, such as South Antrim Hockey, Hillsborough Boys FC, Lisburn Hawks Softball, and Cat Rescue.
Generate greater economic and community benefit: a larger, more efficient clubhouse will support higher bar and café usage, provide rental opportunities for local organisations, and increase the number of community events and fundraisers we can host. This will create a stronger income base to sustain the club while continuing to offer free or low-cost access to charities and community partners.
Lay the groundwork for future improvements, including accessibility upgrades and expanded viewing areas, ensuring the clubhouse meets the needs of a modern, inclusive sports club.
How You Can Help
Your support will enable us to take the next step in transforming our clubhouse into a space that works for everyone. With your help, we can:
Increase sporting participation by creating a larger, more welcoming social and community space that attracts new members and supports existing ones.
Expand inclusive opportunities through initiatives such as indoor table cricket for people with disabilities, girls-only coaching events, and parent/community engagement activities.
Strengthen community partnerships, ensuring local sports clubs, schools, and charities have access to a high-quality, inclusive venue in the heart of Lisburn.
Secure long-term sustainability by preparing the club for larger-scale investment and ensuring our facilities match the scale of our membership growth.
Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us closer to realising this vision. By supporting this project, you will not only help redevelop a building but also strengthen a thriving, inclusive community club that has been part of Lisburn’s story since 1836.
This project successfully funded on 29th December 2025