A football club has been given £50,000 of lottery money to build a new facility.
The Manx Lottery Trust is footing the bill for Onchan AFC to construct what is being described as ‘a multi-purpose space for the community’.
It will include changing rooms, showers, toilets and welfare facilities.
These facilities are designed to help the club to maintain and improve grassroots football coaching, training and development for men and women.
The club is the biggest voluntarily-run organisation in Onchan village, and is currently one of only three clubs in Manx football that has teams at every level.
It supports about 300 registered players spread across two senior teams, a women’s team and a veterans team, as well as around 240 juniors who regularly participate, with ages ranging from give to 18 years old.
David Quirk, president of Onchan AFC, said: ‘Thank you to the Manx Lottery Trust for the funding support towards the clubhouse, which, when complete, will hugely benefit the community, current and future.
‘Although the primary purpose will be used for Onchan AFC, the building and outdoor facilities could also be made available for community use in support of other activities.
‘We also plan to use the space to host a number of events for continued fundraising for the club.’
Stephen Turner, chairman of Manx Lottery Trust, added: ‘We are happy to support Onchan AFC with this new project – the clubhouse and facilities will be used and enjoyed by many, making it a great asset to Onchan.’
This grant is from Manx Lottery Trust’s community awards programme.
Manx Lottery Trust has been delegated to distribute National Lottery money from the National Lottery Community Fund. To find out more, visit: www.mlt.org.im