Sports Funding
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-03
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Charlie McConalogue (FF), Donegal

The plan is to open it in late May or June, with the objective of having funding announcements committed to and the process completed by the end of the year. As I travel around the country, it is very clear that clubs and volunteers are doing phenomenal work and that participation is growing all the time. That is putting pressure on facilities in clubs across all sports. We just discussed the great growth in female participation. The latter is adding significantly to the pressure on facilities. That is why it is really important that we continue to invest really strongly.
In this round, it is important to recognise that all sports and all clubs need support. We are also assessing where the needs are particularly acute. In the ongoing review of the community sports facilities fund, we are targeting support at the relevant areas. There is an acknowledgement that there is phenomenal work being done. As Deputy Dolan said, it came across very clearly at the meeting in Tuam that when we invest in the community sports fund, the impact is phenomenal. The value in terms of how people contribute, the voluntary effort made and the development of facilities is exceptional as well. There is not a current cost to the State, but we get a wonderful dividend. By investing in the community sports facility fund, there is a great participation benefit in the community and all that goes with it in terms of building communities. We also see health and social benefits coming out of it.
The Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, and I will be engaging with our colleagues across the Government to try to make sure that this round is as strong as it possibly can be. As I travel throughout the country, I am engaging with as many clubs as possible. Our message to them in the meantime is to be prepared and to consider where they can develop their clubs in a way that will best serve them such that they can be prepared for making applications to the next round over the summer.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-03/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:02+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-03