Lisdrum Youth FC - Glen Hill Project

Aim

Help us transform Glen Hill into a lasting home for Lisdrum Youth FC—where young players can grow, play, and build a legacy.

Who are we?

⚽ Lisdrum Youth FC: Coming Home to Glen Hill

In the summer of 2002, two visionaries—Eamon Traynor and Tommy Gray—planted the seeds of something special. They founded Lisdrum Youth Football Club with a simple but powerful belief: that sport could shape lives. Their dream was to give the young people of Lisdrumliska and surrounding areas of Newry a place to grow—not just in fitness and skill, but in friendship, purpose, and pride.

For over two decades, our teams played wherever we could—borrowing pitches across Newry, never quite having a place to call our own. But the spirit of Lisdrum never wavered. We kept building, kept believing.

Now, at last, we’ve come home. 

🏡 With the long-term lease of Lisdrumliska Pitch at Glen Hill, we’ve secured a foundation for the future—a place where generations can train, compete, and carry forward the legacy that began with Eamon and Tommy.

This isn’t just a pitch. It’s a promise. A promise to our youth, our community, and our founders: that Lisdrum will always be more than a club. It will be a home.

Our teams and programmes are run entirely by dedicated volunteers who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of local people. Whether on the pitch or through community events, we’re committed to building a healthier, more connected community in Newry.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Our aim is to transform Glen Hill into a fit for purpose home for Lisdrum Youth FC. This crowdfunding project will empower our community club to create a safe, quality space where young people can play, grow, and belong. After years without a permanent pitch, we’ve finally come home, but the ground needs vital upgrades to reach its full potential. These improvements will create a lasting sports hub—somewhere our children can train, compete, and dream, and where local families can gather with pride. Backed by the Sport NI Olympic Legacy Fund, this project isn’t just about football—it’s about legacy, opportunity, and giving every young player the chance to shine on their own field. Together, let’s build Glen Hill into a home for generations.

🏟️ Help Us To Improve Glen Hill into a Home for Future Sports Stars!

Lisdrum FC is on a mission—and we need your help. Our junior teams deserve a pitch that reflects their passion, potential, and pride. Glen Hill has the heart, but it needs serious work to become a safe, playable space for our youngest players.

🌧️ Drainage Repairs: Urgent repairs are required along Watson’s Road to prevent water accumulation on the pitch following rainfall. Redirecting runoff from the road to the drainage system at the opposite end of the pitch will ensure the playing surface remains safe and usable.

🌱 Pitch Restoration: Levelling and re-seeding the pitch will restore the turf quality, providing junior players with a safe and high standard playing surface. This process will include rotavating and sanding to meet the necessary standards for competitive play.

🌬️ Ball Stop Installation: The installation of a new ball stop at the hill end is essential, as the previous structure was lost during last year’s storm. Given the pitch’s location at Glen Hill, a robust ball stop will enhance training and match experiences by keeping the ball in play for longer periods.

🥅 Senior Portable Goalposts:  Acquiring senior goalposts will enable the hosting of matches for older age groups, addressing a current gap in equipment. Portable goals will offer flexibility for training sessions and can be securely stored when not in use.

🚜 Maintenance Equipment: To ensure the long-term sustainability of Glen Hill, funding is sought for a ride-on mower and two strimmers. The mower will maintain the pitch and surrounding areas efficiently, while the strimmers will be used for the steep banks inaccessible to the mower, ensuring compliance with health and safety standards.

This isn’t just about equipment—it’s about creating a space where children from the Glen Hill area can grow, compete, and dream. Every donation, every bit of support, brings us closer to that goal.

💚 Let’s rally together. Let’s build Glen Hill into a fortress for the future. Support Lisdrum. Support our juniors. Support the legacy.

It is therefore apt that this project is supported by the Sport NI Olympic Legacy Fund, for which we are extremely grateful!

How we'll spend the money raised

Every penny we raise will go directly towards transforming Glen Hill into a safe, inclusive, and sustainable home for football — one that encourages participation, wellbeing, and community pride. With your support, we’ll level and re-seed the surface, install new goalposts and ball stops, and purchase essential maintenance equipment like a ride-on mower and strimmers.

For over twenty years, Lisdrum Youth FC has given local children a chance to belong, compete, and grow. Now, with your help, we can take the next step and create facilities worthy of their passion.

Your support will fund essential improvements that will:

• Upgrade pitch drainage to ensure Glen Hill remains playable year-round, reducing waterlogging and keeping players safe in all weather. 
• Level and re-seed the surface, creating a high-quality playing field suitable for youth training and competitive matches. 
• Install new safety ball stops and perimeter fencing to protect spectators, neighbours, and children, while reducing replacement costs from lost equipment.
• Purchase new goalposts, allowing us to expand access for older youth and community teams. 
• Purchase a ride-on mower and strimmers so our volunteers can maintain the grounds sustainably, ensuring long-term cost savings and care. 

This isn’t just about facilities — it’s about opportunity. Every improvement helps more children and families in Newry experience the joy, friendship, and confidence that sport brings.

Together, we can build a lasting Olympic legacy at Glen Hill — a home where future generations will dream, play, and thrive.

Community impact

With your support, Lisdrum Youth FC can complete essential pitch improvements at Glen Hill, creating a lasting home that will inspire participation, inclusion, and pride across our community. This project is about more than sport — it’s about leaving a legacy for generations to come.

1. Expanding Access and Inclusion
 By upgrading Glen Hill, we can welcome more children and young people into football — particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. No child should miss out because of financial or social barriers. Improved facilities will also help us re-establish girls’ and women’s teams, ensuring everyone has a place to play, learn, and belong.

2. Boosting Health and Wellbeing
 Football has the power to change lives. Our programmes build fitness, friendship, confidence, and resilience. With a safe, high-quality playing surface, we can expand structured activities that promote both physical and mental wellbeing, supporting the wider Olympic Legacy goals of lifelong participation and community health.

3. Strengthening Community Bonds
 Lisdrum FC has always been a volunteer-driven club where families, volunteers, and neighbours come together. Enhancing Glen Hill will make it a true gathering place — a shared space that connects people through sport and local pride.

4. Supporting Local Schools and Youth
 Our close partnership with St Moninna’s Primary School will grow even stronger. With no pitch of their own, the upgraded Glen Hill will offer their pupils a safe, welcoming venue for PE and school sports days.

This is the first step toward a larger vision — to redevelop Glen Hill into a thriving community sports hub. Together, we can build a legacy worthy of our founders, our youth, and our city.

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