THE DEPARTMENT OF Sport has today announced top-up funding of €37 million to 27 different sports infrastructure projects under the State’s Large Scale Sports Infrastructure Fund.
It follows the granting of €86.4 million to 33 different projects under the Fund in January 2020. This additional funding has been granted in response to delays experienced by those who were granted money, which arose from the pandemic and construction inflation.
The single-biggest grant has gone to Connacht Rugby toward the redevelopment of the Sportsground: another €10 million to bring the State’s total commitment to the project to €20 million.
Connacht were initially granted €10 million by the fund in 2020, but Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced an extra €10 million investment due to the “the economic significance of The Sportsground redevelopment to the wider West of Ireland region.”
Munster and Leinster Rugby will also benefit from additional funding. Another €5 million has been granted to the redevelopment of the RDS – from which Horse Sport Ireland will also benefit- taking the total State outlay to €15 million. The development of the Munster Rugby Centre of Excellence in Cork has been given another €1.2 million, which takes its total to €2.712 million.
Elsewhere, the Athletics Ireland & MTU Community Sport Project in Cork has been boosted by just over €5 million, while the Limerick Regional Athletics Hub in Newcastle west has been given another €1.1 million.
In GAA, another €2.3 million has been granted to the modernising of Páirc Tailteann in Meath, while Walsh Park in Waterford has almost doubled its total windfall with the addition of €3.3 million. Another €1.15 million has been granted to the development of St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge.
There are comparatively fewer soccer projects on the list, but €693,550 has been granted to the redevelopment of Finn Harps’ stadium in Donegal, taking the total State commitment to €4.68 million.
No additional funding has been granted to Dalymount Park, as Dublin City Council will apply for separate funding which will be allocated when the next stream of funding under the Infrastructure Fund is announced.
The development of the Munster Centre of Excellence, Glanmire, Cork was the sole soccer-only project included on the initial 2020 list – provisionally granted just over €2 million – but the FAI announced earlier this year they were shelving the project.
A new round of grantsunder the Fund will be announced next year. All applicants must prove male and females will have the same level of access and standard of facility if they are to be successful.
“It is vitally important that we have sporting facilities like these so that people of all ages and abilities can benefit from their use”, said Minister Catherine Martin. “From the Government’s perspective, if we are to achieve our ambitious targets and get as many people participating in sport as possible we need the necessary facilities. Similarly, if we are to develop our elite sportspeople we need to invest at grassroots level.”
The full list of allocations can be viewed here.