A funding cut for a foundation set up in memory of late Derry City footballer Ryan McBride is "disgraceful", a local MLA has said.
The Ryan McBride Foundation announced on Monday that a project involving 30 schools has had all its funding removed by the Executive Office at Stormont.
Around 2,000 children are set to lose out, the Foundation said.
Ryan McBride, from the Brandywell area of Derry, joined the club at the age of 19 and went on to captain his boyhood team.
He died suddenly in March 2017 and, following his death, the club's home grounds were renamed the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium.
The foundation was established in his memory a short time after his death and has worked mentoring and supporting young people in the North West for several years.
Announcing the cuts to its primary school programme, a spokesperson for the Ryan McBride Foundation said: "We have received the devastating news that our Primary School Project has lost all of its funding from The Executive Office.
"We were expecting a funding cut but to receive zero has come as a shock.
"Our Project served 30 schools for 2 hours each week free of charge and had around 2000 participants from schools right across the city and many rural areas.
"It is more than just football, our coaches worked on childhood obesity, promoted healthy eating, positive mentality and tackled racism, sectarianism, gender equality and everything in between. Kids looked forward to it every week.
"We are determined to keep this project going and we will be engaging with our elected reps and alternative funders. If you are a teacher from one of our schools or a parent whose child benefitted from our program your support would be greatly appreciated."
Sinn Fein MLA Padraig Delargy has described the cuts as "disgraceful".
He said the removal of the financial support will have a "detrimental impact on children and young people."
He continued: “The Ryan McBride Foundation is a fantastic project that provides football coaching and support to children in over 30 schools across the city, and helps develop young people’s physical and emotional well-being through sport."
A spokesperson for the Executive Office said: "Given the challenging budget position across Government Departments, we are in a position where difficult decisions need to be made. Savings have been made as far as possible within The Executive Office (TEO), but unfortunately further savings are required.
“To inform budget allocations across the Department, TEO published an Equality Impact Assessment which proposed an allocation to the Central Good Relations Fund (CGRF) of £1.4m. Findings from the initial period of EQIA consultation will be published by the Executive Office shortly."
The spokesperson continued: “The CGRF is a merit-based programme, with no guarantee of funding year on year. It is extremely competitive - each year the funding sought exceeds the available resources. Consequently, in any year, this means it is not possible to support all worthwhile projects. This issue is particularly acute in 2023/24.
“TEO understands that any reductions to Good Relations funding will have a substantial impact on: projects that can be delivered; the teams/individuals delivering these projects on the ground; and on the individuals who participate in these projects.
“TEO remains fully committed to Good Relations, with an ongoing strategic review of the T:BUC Strategy, and will work with stakeholders to mitigate impact where possible.”
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