Golf Ireland welcomes news from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sports, Media and the Gaeltacht about the allocation of Sports Capital Funding.
Over 130 clubs in the Republic of Ireland received over €8.2million through the Equipment Grant and Local Grant Schemes.
Speaking on Friday afternoon, Golf Ireland CEO Mark Kennelly said; “I would like to thank Minister Martin and Minister Chambers, along with the staff in the Department for their support of golf through the Sports Capital Programme.
“With our golfers performing excellently on the international stage, the sport has the power to inspire those of all ages. Better facilities around the country will entice more people into playing golf, which can only be a good thing for the sport.”
The Government announcement revealed an overall package of €150 million in new capital grants under the latest round of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP). €144 million is allocated to almost 1,900 applications with €6 million kept in reserve for successful appeals lodged by unsuccessful applicants.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, said: “Sport is crucial for all communities in Ireland. There was a record number of applications for these grants and the government responded with the most significant level of individual awards ever.
“So this is a great day for sports clubs and community groups right around the country and I want to congratulate all of the successful applicants.
“It has been a tough two years for many sports clubs but the pandemic really demonstrated the importance of sport for our collective wellbeing. The grants we are announcing today will significantly improve sports facilities in every county. There is a huge variety of different sports covered and I was particularly pleased that the scoring system placed an even greater emphasis on female participation.
“Over 30 sports and activities are represented, ranging from competitive, track and field games right through to walking. “I want to thank all of the volunteers associated with these clubs for their tireless work and their commitment to improving their facilities to benefit all members.”
Minister of State with responsibility for Sport, Jack Chambers, highlighted the huge number of grantees and the wide variety of sports funded:
“Anybody involved in sport at local level knows the importance of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme. I am delighted that today’s announcement represents the highest level of funding ever provided for any round of the Programme.
“As well as the major field sports, funding is being provided to tennis clubs, cricket, boxing, kayaking, wheelchair sports and martial arts to name just some. It is great to see crowds back at big sporting events in recent weeks but our key focus is to get as many people participating as possible. COVID-19 revealed to us all the importance of community and I am particularly pleased that so many community centres and organisations have been allocated funding to develop projects in towns and villages across the country. If we want to achieve our participation targets, we must provide high quality facilities and that is what today’s announcement is all about.
“As well as grants to local clubs, I am also delighted that we are providing over €17 million for projects deemed to be of “regional” significance. Amongst these grantees are a number of GAA County Boards, National Governing Bodies of Sport and Local Authorities.”
- Full list of allocations can be found HERE
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