€3.3m Sports Capital Grant funding allocated to local projects

Over €3.3m has been allocated to local sporting groups through the Sports Capital Grant programme.

The funding is being distributed among 47 clubs across the county and is part of record investment of €150 million which will benefit 1,900 clubs and schools nationwide.

A total of €300,000 has been allocated to Westmeath County Board for the upgrade of TEG Cusack Park. Other local GAA clubs to receive large allocations include St Oliver Plunkett's HC (€150,000), Shandonagh GFC (€150,000), Crookedwood (€150,000), Bunbrosna (€150,000), Clonkill (€150,000), Milltownpass (€147,000), St Loman's GFC (€138,000), Castlepollard HC (€132,000),The Downs GFC (€96,000), St Mary's, Rochfortbridge (€96,000), Killucan (€97,000), Cullion HC (€85,000) Tyrrellspass (€84,000), Castletown Geoghegan HC (€71,000), St Paul's, Clonmellon (€67,000), Raharney (€62,000) and Ballymore (€49,000).

Some of the local soccer clubs to receive funding included Mullingar Athletic (€123,000) and Kinnegad Juniors (€117,000).

Other local sporting clubs to receive funding include Ballyncargy BC (€18,000), Lakeside Wheelers (€28,500) and Mullingar Tennis and Badmington Club (€14,000).

The €300,000 funding for Westmeath County Board was one of four “regional large scale grants” allocated for Westmeath projects. The others were €250,000 to Athlone Town FC for the upgrading of dressing rooms, toilet facilities and a fitness suite, €178,000 to Athlone TUS, and €123,000 to Westmeath County Council for works at the Regional Sports Centre in Athlone.

Welcoming the funding for Westmeath, Minister of State Peter Burke said that it is “a reflection of the government’s commitment to invest in rural Ireland and local clubs and communities”

“This is fantastic news of record investment into our local sports clubs! This is further Government investment into rural and regional Ireland and an acknowledgement of the millions of hours invested by volunteers across our county every year to keep our clubs going. I am delighted to have assisted many of the clubs with their applications.

“Our local clubs, be they GAA, soccer, athletics, handball, swimming or a whole host of other types of sport, are the bedrock of local communities, of schools and the fibre of our localities. We see volunteers week in week out give hours of their time coaching, assisting, bringing lifts, making food, involved in budgeting, governance and sitting on committees, all for the benefit of their club and community. I hope this investment goes some way to acknowledge their work and assists with drives for better facilities and more members.

“Sport is crucial, for both adults and children, and we have seen this more than ever during Covid 19. There was a record number of applications for these grants and the government responded with the most significant level of individual awards ever. It has been a tough two years for many sports clubs. The grants we are announcing today will significantly improve sports facilities in every club listed. There is a huge variety of different sports covered and his year for the first time, the scoring system placed an even greater emphasis on female participation," Deputy Burke said.

Minister of State Robert Troy said that the funding is an acknowledgement of the importance of sport in every community.

"I warmly welcome one of the biggest ever Sports Capital budgets. Having worked with a number of the successful clubs that are receiving the good news today, it is going to make a huge difference to their clubs. These clubs are buying equipment or making enhancement works to their facilities. This is going to be a huge benefit to them.

"Having spoken to a number of them already, they are very excited to receive this news and looking forward to making the necessary investment in their club. Sport makes such a difference to our communities and makes such a difference to the people who participate in it. It's important that facilities are up to standard.

"We shouldn't let this opportunity go with acknowledging the huge level of volunteerism that goes into all of these sports clubs, without which there would not be successful applications today. They are the people who do the fundraising. They are the people who put in the application forms. They are the people who keep the clubs going on a day to day basis. It's good to see government acknowledging that with a significant investment today," he said.