Labour welcome announcement of Sports Capital Grant
Time to look at community sports grounds
Labour sport spokesperson Mark Wall has welcomed the announcement of the Sports Capital grant announced by government today.
Senator Wall said:
“It’s been a challenging few years for clubs and sporting organisations across the country, but the confirmation today that up to €150 million will be available in capital grants is a welcome boost.
“Sporting organisations are the backbone of our communities and they have come under severe financial pressure due to the impact of Covid-19 so these grants are an important signal to clubs that there is a future.
“It’s now time to look at our community sports grounds and see how we can better develop amenities in communities throughout the country. Given the shortage of land, we now need local authorities to urgently identify and support our sports clubs through community sports centres.
“Every town with a population of 5,000 and above needs to have a community sports centre to support existing clubs in the community with the massive growth we are seeing in sports. Now is the time to invest in sports in this country, and we need to be as ambitious for clubs as they are for themselves.
“Sport is critically important for the mental health and physical wellbeing participants and spectators. It is the lifeblood of our communities and we greatly welcome the funding announced today.”