Ground Forced - Strabane Athletic Close in on New Stadium After FIVE Year Wait

Lengthy Stadium Wait Get's Final Notice

A decision on plans for a new stadium for Strabane Athletic, first submitted eight years ago, is now in "its final stage" according to a Stormont department.

The club first submitted plans for a new multi-sport stadium in 2018, with Derry City and Strabane District Council approving the application in 2021. The Department for Infrastructure (DFI) said that it would make it's final ruling on the application in 2022. SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan claimed that the delay could not be justified and was "holding the club back".

A spokesperson for the DFL stated that a decision on the plans was now "in its final stages and will be issued as soon as possible". These plans include an outdoor football ground, a full-size indoor 3G arena as well as community facilities.

Strabane's Fight for New Turf

Based in Northern Ireland and formed in 2010, Strabane Athletic have enjoyed healthy and sustained success on the field over the years since their birth, and are set to play in Northern Ireland's second tier for the first time next season. However, they face having to play matches away from the Melvin Arena - their current home ground - as it does not meet Irish FA criteria.

Speaking with the BBC, club captain Liam McMenamin stated that the infrastructure of the club needed to keep pace with their success on the pitch.

"Hopefully going forward the success continues on the pitch which will probably add that wee bit of pressure to get things done," he said.

McCrossan said the plans should be allowed to go forward and, while he understands the need for "due process", there was "absolutely no excuse for the delays of this nature".

Strabane Athletic clinch North West Senior Cup https://t.co/J5JchB3U2H

— Strabane Weekly News (@StrabaneWeekly) May 6, 2026

"The club would be better off knowing if this is going to be passed or not, because at least then they can move on and stop pouring money, good after bad, into this project when it may not even happen," he went on to say.

"The reality is it should happen, as I've said there's huge support in this community - this club has been built up from the grassroots."

It is one of a number of local sports team "pouring huge amounts of time and investment into the development of their young people," he added.

Strabane Face 'Detailed Scrutiny'

In Northern Ireland, councils have the final say local planning applications but the DFI are allowed to step in and make a final call if it believes an application raises certain issues of 'regional importance'.

The DFL spokesperson said the choice to intrude in the club's application was reached because the department "considered that it raised a number of regional and sub-regional issues which required more detailed assessment".

In 2023, the DFL issued a Notice of Opinion stating their intention to refuse the application, five years after it was first made. Derry City and Strabane District Council then requested to appear before the Planning Appeal Commission. That hearing took place in September 2025, and the PAC report was delivered to the department in November.

"Given the complexity of the issues involved and the need to carefully balance competing considerations, the application has required detailed scrutiny," the DfI spokesperson said.