COUNCILLOR MARTIN HARLEY has expressed his delight after Donegal County Council passed a motion to grant Finn Harps €20,000, seemingly securing their future as a club, it has been announced.

The motion, tabled by Harley and seconded by Barry O’Neill, received unanimous backing, and will go some way towards securing the €48,000 needed to be be raised before December 21 to prevent the club from going out of business.

Speaking to TheScore.ie, Harley said that it was an important step to secure future of the club.

The councillor acknowledged that it was a “difficult decision  in the current circumstances” and that “it wasn’t going to wash with a lot of people”.

However, he described how the “bigger picture” needed to be looked at, and emphasised that the decision was beneficial not just for the club but for “the community”.

He pointed to the club’s work with several schools and involvement in road safety initiatives as examples of its wider role within the Donegal community.

While he urged caution by noting that it was only “one step” towards securing the overall funds required to ensure the club’s survival, he explained that there was “fundraising going on all the time” and said he was “more than optimistic” that the club would survive.

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