Ballykeel Youth FC score with Power NI

The Ballymena based club received a £300 community grant through the company’s staff initiative, which gives employees the opportunity to nominate local groups and organisations to receive funding.

The club was nominated by Power NI employee Roy Bell, and the funding will cover the costs of new football kits to kickstart the season.

Ballykeel Youth Football Club was recently founded in 2020, with the aim of filling in the gap for the boys and girls from the greater Ballymena Area who had been looking for an organised sporting event.

Despite a tough year in 2020 due to the global pandemic, the club is going from strength to strength, with now over 90 children getting involved. This has all been made possible by the support of the club chairman James Weir, the local community and church, and Power NI.

Delighted with the funding, Roy said: “Ballykeel Youth Football Club is grateful for all the community and business support offered. This has enabled the club to get off the ground and three age group teams started. A special thank you must be extended to Power NI’s, ‘Helping Hands’ scheme for keeping children healthy and active after a year of being stuck indoors during lockdown.”

Team Manager and Liaison Committee Member, James Weir said: “The community in Ballykeel has suffered some heavy blows to morale in 2020. Power NI support through one of our parents makes moving on with the project a little bit easier to manage.”