A major new £2.4m multi-purpose sports facility is set to open at the Northern Ireland Civil Service Sports Association's (NICSSA) Pavilion Complex at Stormont in July.

PlayBall at the Pavilion will incorporate a multi-use artificial pitch and an international-standard water-based hockey pitch, as well as 3G pitches for five and seven-a-side football. Team training facilities, changing rooms, conference and function suites and a catering service also form part of the project, which has benefited from more than £1.2m from Sport Northern Ireland.

The complex is designed to provide local clubs, youth groups and schools with state-of-the-art sports facilities, while being available to NICSSA members and the public. PlayBall business development manager Kieran McGarrigle said: "Demand is already high, we have received a huge amount of interest from schools, youth groups, hockey clubs and both professional and amateur football clubs making enquiries and bookings.

"We anticipate these new pitches will attract large numbers of visitors, which in turn ensures that they will be a viable commercial opportunity for businesses hoping to target its users." Sport Northern Ireland chief executive Eamonn McCartan added: "This investment demonstrates Sport Northern Ireland's commitment to improving and creating new facilities which will help support increased participation, develop sporting talent, and ultimately a legacy of lifelong enjoyment and success in sport.

"The facility represents an opportunity to develop participation from grass roots right through to higher levels of sporting excellence."