Dear Madam - I would welcome a Centre for Sporting Excellence in Fermanagh that would be available to everyone in the community.  As a keen rugby fan I recognise the importance sport plays in the lives of young people.  It encourages team work and instils discipline for their chosen sport as well as the additional health benefits.” While I welcome such initiatives as the Fermanagh Recreational Trust and the new initiative by the Education Authority’s Youth Service to promote and support inclusive youth work projects more can and should be done to encourage sports in the county without the need for local young people to travel to Cookstown and in some cases Belfast.

I plan to raise this issue with the Sports Minister Caral Ni Chuilin and will work alongside Councillor Farrell and other interested parties in Fermanagh to see what can be done to provide facilities that match the sporting talent that we have in the County.

Neil Somerville, MLA