We all know that being able to access leisure facilities to exercise and take part in sporting activities has huge benefits for mental and physical health and general well-being. That is especially important for young people as sport can help to create friendships, grow self-confidence and tackle loneliness and social isolation. These days, when many children reach for their screens, we should provide high-quality sports facilities to encourage them to get out and play. Just this summer, we saw inspirational performances from local athletes at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and we know that Northern Ireland can deliver on the international sporting stage.

Sadly, it is the case that many school and community facilities are in disrepair and are ageing, with no obvious solutions. Last week, I was contacted about such a pitch in east Antrim. It is a large shale playing surface that is used for sports such as hockey and athletics, shared between two local schools: Carrick Academy and Carrickfergus Grammar School. It is also used by the local community. Unfortunately, the quality of the pitch, which has been the main playing surface for decades, has deteriorated badly over the years despite recent repairs, and now, due to health and safety concerns, it is completely unusable for competitive sports, meaning that hockey games have been cancelled.

That is clearly very disappointing for the teams and young people involved.

Shale pitches are not very common any more, and it is not hard to see why. The surface is covered with small stones like sand, and, in fact, it is more akin to walking on a beach than on a sports playing surface. It is for this reason — to prevent injuries to the players — that the schools had to pull the use of this pitch. I know that this is far from the only issue affecting school estates, even school estates in east Antrim, and I know of schools that have areas closed off to students, but I am asking that the Education Authority come and visit the school with me to see the state of the pitch and whether anything can be done to reinstate it and make it safe for people to play and run on.

Schemes where schools and communities can share resources are a great idea, but, in this case, attention is needed. There needs to be a usable solution that provides long-term, high-quality surfaces where young people's teams and members of the community can use pitches for exercise and competitions.