Press Release

O'Donoghue announces additional €14.3 million under
Sports Capital Programme

John O'Donoghue, T.D., Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, today (8 December, 2006) announced a package of additional funding of over €14.3 million towards the development of a number of key strategic national and regional sports facilities as well as funding to enhance the quality and range of equipment available to national governing bodies to assist in increasing participation in those sports further.

"I am pleased to announce this €14.33 million in grant aid. This allocation is in addition to my recent announcements of €1.6m towards the FAI's ground-breaking Mini-Pitch programme and over €840,000 to eight governing bodies of sport to meet their high performance needs. The announcements today serve to illustrate this Government's ongoing commitment to the improvement of our sporting infrastructure. A total of €483 million has now been allocated in sports capital funding by the Government in 5,781 grants since 1998 with a further €107 million now allocated towards the redevelopment of Croke Park over the same period, including today's allocation of €3.65 million towards the installation of the new floodlighting system", Minister O'Donoghue said.

"I feel it is fitting to make this contribution towards the high costs incurred by the organisations concerned in providing these key facilities which are crucial elements in the identification and nurturing of young talent and in increasing participation in sport generally. My Department is arranging for the issue of this additional funding to the organisations concerned in accordance with its normal legal and technical requirements", Minister O'Donoghue concluded

Click on link for full listing of allocations Allocations

Background Note

Many of these strategic facilities have already received assistance from the Department, in most cases under the Sports Capital Programme, but this previous level of funding, while providing a tremendous boost to the projects, still left the organisations with a considerable funding gap to be bridged.

The Minister is allocating funding of €750,000 to enable the completion of the National Rowing Centre at Inniscarra, Co. Cork, bringing total funding for the project to over €5.33 million. A further €20,960 is also being allocated to the Irish Amateur Rowing Union for the recent refurbishment of facilities at Blessington in Co. Wicklow.

A range of top class sports facilities is to be provided at the University of Limerick. The Minister is today allocating €1million towards Phase 1 of this development, particularly with a view to the potential usage of UL as a centre for teams preparing for the London 2012 Olympics. The previous funding to the UL Sports Complex since 1998 had been in the form of a €7.55 million grant for the construction of the national 50-metre swimming pool.

The Olympic Council of Ireland is also a beneficiary under today's announcement, through a €250,000 grant towards the cost of the provision and refurbishment of its headquarters at Howth in Dublin; bringing total funding to that project to €900,000.

Minister O'Donoghue is also allocating a total of €3.25 million today towards municipal centres being provided by local authorities. These centres are €multi-million in cost and provide a range of sporting facilities. The Ballybough Civic Centre is to receive €250,000. The remaining three centres being funded have each already been allocated €3.8 million, the maximum grant available of under the Department's Local Authority Swimming Pool Programme. The Minister is announcing today a further €1million is being provided to each centre towards the cost of their other sports facilities. These projects are as follows:

Letterkenny Town Council - Sports & Leisure Centre

Limerick City Council - Grove Island Sports & Leisure Centre

South Dublin County Council - Jobstown Sports & Leisure Centre

Four regional GAA projects have been allocated a total of €3.25 million. The Minister recognises the special place of Semple Stadium in Irish sport by announcing a further €500,000 towards the completion of Phase 1 of its major redevelopment, which is ongoing. This brings to €1.5 million the contribution towards this particular work and €1.8m in overall funding to the ground since 1998.

In addition, the Minister is allocating funding to three GAA County Boards towards the costs already incurred by them in establishing their County Training and Development Centres, towards which no funding had previously been given. The allocations are as follows:

Louth €1,000,000

Monaghan €1,000,000

Meath €750,000

A total of €1.365 million is being allocated towards nine regional soccer projects proposed for funding by the FAI. These are for costs already incurred in respect of regional development centres or towards the completion of facilities for Eircom League clubs required to meet UEFA Licence standards. The projects are located in Cork city, Monaghan, Cobh, Coolock and Clondalkin in Dublin, Portlaoise, Galway, Tralee and Sligo.

In addition to the €841,637 he announced recently towards the high performance equipment needs of national governing bodies (NGBs), the Minister today announced a further €793,400 towards the equipment requirements of ngbs; mainly aimed at proposals submitted by them to assist in increasing participation in their sports. The allocations in this regard are:

€300,000 towards the further development of the Community Hoops programme for Basketball Ireland incorporating the installation of further basketball hoops across the country and particularly concentrating on disadvantaged areas. This brings total funding to the programme to €1.78 million since 1998.

€250,000 to the Athletics Association of Ireland towards coaching and promotion programmes and high performance needs.

€200,000 to the Irish Hockey Association for the provision of a variety of equipment to clubs and schools around the country.

€31,400 to the Irish Amateur Rowing Union to enable them to introduce a new Adaptive Rowing Programme, which is rowing for athletes with disabilities.

€12,000 to Motor Cycling Ireland in respect of equipment specifically required for the organisation to meet the necessary health and safety standards.