Investment Measures for Outstanding Sports Facilities (Sports Facility Construction Funding Guideline)

This funding program targets a wide range of applicants in North Rhine-Westphalia who are planning investments in sports facilities with a focus on high-performance sports. The funding is available to municipalities, non-profit sports organizations, as well as other legal and natural persons who significantly contribute to the development of a needs-based sports facility infrastructure.

This funding program supports a variety of investment measures for outstanding sports facilities that serve high-performance sports or comparable objectives. This includes new construction, conversion, acquisition, modernization, as well as repair and building maintenance measures. Eligible expenses include construction costs and relevant technical equipment, considering sustainability and accessibility aspects.

Funding is provided in the form of a grant as partial financing of the eligible expenses. The funding amount varies depending on the applicant and can in exceptional cases be up to 90 percent. There are defined minimum amounts for the granting of the subsidy. The funded sports facilities must be used for their intended purpose for a specified duration.

For the approval of funding, applicants must meet specific requirements, ranging from the necessity of the construction measure to compliance with building and legal regulations and third-party involvement. Predominantly commercial use of the sports facility is generally excluded.

The application for funding must be submitted electronically and in duplicate in writing to the competent district government. The funding decision rests with the highest state authority responsible for sports, while the approval is carried out by the district governments. Approval is granted at their dutiful discretion and within the limits of available budget funds.

The funding program is based on the Guideline on the Granting of Subsidies for the Promotion of Investment Measures for Outstanding Sports Facilities, issued by the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is also bound by the State Budget Code and other relevant legal provisions.