(L-R) GSF Award recipient Aiden Biju Joy (Badminton); GSF Ambassador Aidan Walsh (Boxing); GSF Ambassador Shirley McCay (Field Hockey); GSF Award recipient Sophie Gargan (Football); GSF Award Recipient Noah Kelly (BMX Racing); GSF Award Recipient Darcey Newell (Weightlifting); GSF Award Recepient Jamillah Toriola (Volleyball) and GSF Ambassador Dr Michael McKillop (Running)
GLL, the charitable social enterprise that operates Belfast’s 16 leisure centres under its Better brand in partnership with Belfast City Council, has marked the 10th anniversary of its arrival in Belfast with a ceremony reflecting on its decade in the city and honouring the 158 GLL Sport Foundation recipients for 2025 in Belfast, the largest ever intake for the foundation in the city, amounting to over £115,000 of investment.
These figures also make Belfast the largest of the 78 areas in the UK supported by the GLL Sport Foundation, which is the biggest independent athlete support fund in the UK. Over 1,200 Belfast athletes have been supported by the GLL Sport Foundation since 2015, equating to over £700,000 in financial contribution. 57% of athletes supported by the foundation are aged under 21, 23% are under the age of 16, and 38 sports are supported including Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Sports.
While the programme is fully inclusive of all sports, the foundation has supported notable local sporting success stories such as international hockey player Shirley McCay, Ireland’s most capped sportswoman in any sporting code, multiple Paralympics gold medallist Dr Michael McKillop, and Olympian boxer sibling duo Michaela and Aidan Walsh.
Speakers at the event hosted by broadcaster Pete Snodden included Lord Mayor of Belfast, Cllr Micky Murray, Belfast City Council Chief Executive John Walsh, foundation ambassadors Shirley McCay, Dr Michael McKillop, Aidan and Michaela Walsh, David Tumilty of the Public Health Agency, and GLL representatives Gareth Kirk, Jacqui Pope, and Tony Wallace.
Lady Mary Peters was also honoured at the event in recognition of the partnership work the Mary Peters Trust has undertaken in the past decade with the GLL Sport Foundation in the support of local athletes.
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Micky Murray, said: “The health and wellbeing of our citizens is an important priority for Belfast City Council and is at the heart of our city strategy.
“We have invested £105 million in creating outstanding leisure facilities including Lisnasharragh, Andersonstown, Brook, Avoniel, Olympia and Templemore Baths. These investments have been truly transformative – not only in terms of physical buildings and facilities, but also the lives of our citizens accessing them.
“I am delighted to celebrate 10 years of successful partnership with GLL, who have been a trusted partner in community health and wellbeing, and an organisation who share our values. From helping people to keep fit and look after their mental health, through to supporting our sporting stars of the future through the GLL Sport Foundation.”
Gareth Kirk, Senior Regional Director, GLL, said: “In 2015, we entered into an ambitious partnership with Belfast City Council to transform leisure services in Belfast. We celebrate a decade of partnership working and we are pleased to have dramatically changed the leisure landscape across the city by improving facilities, income, staffing levels, culture and community investment.
“As a charitable social enterprise, the partnership is based on our operating model of providing accessible, affordable leisure services for local people.
“With 16 leisure centres now operational we are creating a more active, sustainable and healthier city. We have also created sport and physical activity facilities that will greatly benefit our local athletes to support their wider training as well as provide options to relax and recover from their busy training and competition schedules.
“This evening is one example of how this success can positively support our local community here in Belfast. This is the largest GLL Sport Foundation programme in the UK, and we plan to continue to expand the programme in the years ahead and ensure that Belfast is regarded as a city where opportunities for sporting excellence are high on the agenda.”
Shirley McCay, former Ireland international hockey player and GLL Sport Foundation ambassador, said: “The support of the GLL Sport Foundation was invaluable throughout my career, giving me both the time and facilities to train to a serious and consistent level that I would have otherwise had to fund myself.
“To see the next generation of Belfast athletes, a larger number than ever, here tonight benefitting from that support is not only heartening, but exciting for the future of sport in the city.
“That Belfast is the area within the GLL Sport Foundation with the largest number of athletes shows the potential that exists within this city across any number of sports. The support provided by the GLL Sport Foundation will give these young athletes the best possible platform to realise their potential and make their mark in Belfast and beyond.”
(L-R) Aiden Biju Joy; Sophie Gargan; Noah Kelly; Darcey Newell; and Jamillah Toriola
(L-R) Gareth Kirk, Regional Director, North & Northern Ireland, GLL; Phil Donnay, Deputy CEO, GLL; Shirely McCay; Dr Michael McKillop; Noah Kelly; Jamillah Toriola; Jacqui Pope, Head of Service, Belfast, GLL; Aidan Walsh; and Tony Wallace, Regional Director, GLL Sport Foundation Lead
Noah Kelly performs a wheelie outside City Hall
