UUP calls for national sports museum for East Derry

Given the outstanding success of the Open golf at Portrush along with the fantastic news of the £30 million Bellarena Golf Links boost for the constituency, East Derry should also become the venue for a National Sports Museum which would highlight the rich sporting history and heritage of Northern Ireland over the generations. 

   The call has come from Mr Robert Carmichael, the Chairman of the East Derry Ulster Unionist Party Association. 

   Mr Carmichael, speaking on behalf of the UUP Association, said: “The estimated hundreds of thousands of people who came to the North Coast for the Open golf provided a tremendous financial boost for the region and firmly established East Londonderry as one of the premier localities for golf tourism in Northern Ireland.

   “This sterling reputation for golf tourism will be further boosted when the planned Bellarena Golf Links project comes online, creating an estimated 300 jobs for the constituency. 

   “Over the generations, there have been many clubs, teams and sporting people across a range of sports who have brought honours to Northern Ireland. The time has come to recognise these achievements by creating a National Sports Museum located in our thriving constituency of East Londonderry. 

   “Such a museum could become yet another jewel in the crown of sporting attractions in the constituency and would be a further opportunity for the various sporting bodies as well as the tourism and hospitality sectors to work in partnership to both generate jobs and create inward investment for East Londonderry. 

   “Likewise, given the number of sporting achievements by many of our schools, colleges and university campuses in East Londonderry, those merits can also be promoted in a National Sports Museum which could further encourage children and young people to get involved with sporting activities and clubs,” said Mr Carmichael on behalf of the UUP Association.