A €30 million fund has been made available to sports clubs and organisations to upgrade facilities, pitches and equipment over the next four years.
The Sports Capital Programme is returning after a four year absence brought about by cuts to State spending, and clubs are now being invited to apply for grants of up to €300,000 each from today.
Minister of State for Sport Michael Ring said the grants on offer would be smaller than in the past as he noted that the €30 million fund, which was put aside in the budget, was considerably down on the €100 million made available in previous years.
However, he said he hoped the fund would be able to cover more ground now than in the past with “30 per cent better value” on offer from builders and contractors.
Clubs participating in the programme will be expected to raise 15 per cent of the cost of the project, half the amount of "matching funding" sought in previous years to qualify for the programme.
Organisations in Clár areas, targeted for rural development, will have to raise 10 per cent of the cost and clubs in disadvantaged Rapid areas will be expected to raise 5 per cent.
Mr Ring said he hoped the initiative would encourage greater participation in sports, particularly among women and children, and that applications from clubs willing to share their facilities, with a local school for instance, would be given preference.
“They will get extra points because I am anxious that facilities will be open and that we don't have facilities closed at weekends or for two or three months of the summer,” he said.
“Where possible in a community if a school or a VEC is making an application they will have to do so with a sporting organisation whether it be an athletic club, a soccer club, a camogie club or a rugby club.”
Mr Ring said he presented a case to Government that it was better to spend money to encourage people to be active and fit than to pay for their poor health at a later date.
“If you don't have funding for sport you will need more money for hospitals, for consultants and doctors,” he said. “Money spent on sport is actually better in relation to money spent on precautions in relation to heart attacks, strokes and everything else.”
Application forms and further information on the programme is available from sportscapitalprogramme.ie
