Rugby Clubs Awarded Grants Under Community Sport Facilities Fund

Catherine Martin TD, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media, and Thomas Byrne TD, the Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education, and the Gaeltacht, today announced 1,996 grants with a total value of €230m for new and improved sports facilities and equipment throughout the country under the Community Sport Facilities Fund.

Ministers Martin and Byrne were joined by the Minister for Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, Pashcal Donohoe TD, at Cambridge FC in Ringsend to announce the record funding.

The €230m allocation announced today follows May’s allocation of €26m for sports equipment, which brings the total investment in community sport and recreation in 2024 to an unprecedented €256m.

This is a 50% increase on the funding allocated in early 2022 under the 2020 round of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme, which is now known as the Community Sport Facilities Fund.

Over 40 separate sports, as well as multi-sport facilities throughout the country, will benefit from the community sport grants announced today.

As a sport, rugby received a total of €9,969,837 in funding through 76 successful grant applications. Today’s allocations were split into three categories: (1) Equipment Applications, (2) Local Projects, and (3) Regional Projects.

Equipment applications cover applications submitted as capital but discovered at assessment to be equipment only (funded at 100% as per equipment grants announced in May).

Sports clubs and groups typically seeking up to €200,000 come under the heading of local projects, and regional projects are typically centres of excellence such as GAA county training centres or synthetic running tracks applying for up to €500,000.

Click here to see a list of all of the grants awarded, while you can view a list of the allocations by sport here, and there is a county breakdown available here.

Each application was assessed under criteria including population density, deprivation, and access to facilities. Unsuccessful applicants can appeal any grant applications deemed invalid.

Speaking at the announcement in Ringsend today, Minister Martin said: “Sport is vital to our sense of togetherness and community, from local clubs to professional and high-performance teams and athletes.

“Each and every one of these grants represents a project that will create a new or improved opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in sport to the best of their ability.

“Clubs will be better able to serve their communities with the help of this fund. For example, 194 clubs are getting funding to install solar panels, 317 clubs are getting funding for LED floodlights, and 966 projects will include improvements to pitches.

“These vital improvements and new facilities will add to the equipment allocations announced earlier this year to ensure that more people than ever have access to the sports they love in their local areas.”

Minister Byrne commented: “Over a quarter of a billion euro is being invested in sports clubs and facilities under the Community Sport Facilities Fund. This level of sports funding is unprecedented and will prove transformative for sports clubs and facilities in communities across Ireland.

“As a Government, we are committed to providing everyone, of every age and ability, with the opportunity to participate in sport and this record allocation for sport demonstrates that commitment. 

“The inspiring performance of Team Ireland at the Olympics and Paralympics recently in Paris demonstrated the positive power of sport and we understand that any sporting journey begins within the community.

“The record funding being announced today under the Community Sport Facilities Fund underlines this Government’s continued commitment to seeing Irish sport thrive into the future.”

Minister Donohoe added: “This Government is committed to supporting sport at all levels, from grassroots and community-level facilities right up to our high-performance athletes on the world stage.

“Sport adds so much to our lives, as spectators, beginners, or those who are excelling in their field. The mental and physical benefits are immeasurable.

“Ensuring adequate investment means that our participants have good facilities at their disposal and can train to compete to the best of their ability, whatever that is.

“After such a successful summer for our Olympians and Paralympians, it’s great to have an opportunity to underline our investment in sport for everyone, in every community across the country.”