Southside TDs call for more sports funding

Both government and opposition TDs have called for more funding for Southside sports clubs.

With last week’s Budget announcing a  €1,5 billion round of funding for the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, Southside TDs are hoping their local clubs get a slice of the pie.

Among the headline-grabbing figures was a  €3 million round of funding to the FAI to support League of Ireland acade mies.

With Shamrock Rovers recently receiving an Irish record fee of €2 million for prized asset Victor Ozhianvuna from Arsenal, the government is starting to see the potential in investing in Irish football.

Fianna Fáil Minister Charlie McConalogue said that last year’s Europa League final in the Aviva and the recent NFL match at Croke Park were a taste of what Dublin can expect when it hosts games at Euro 2028, but local Sinn Féin TD Mark Ward said hosting major events shouldn’t come at the expense of local sports clubs.

Speaking in the Dáil last week, Ward said that his local team, Collinstown Football Club, has been waiting for a dressing room since 2019 and that South Dublin County Council has been waiting for a sports capital grant.

“Nothing happened until 2024, and the club had to apply for more money because of the delay, which meant costs had spiralled,” the Dublin Mid-West TD noted.

“This football team, which caters for boys, girls, men’s and women’s teams, has no dressing room; some 400 players are without a dressing room.”

Ward bemoaned that there has been “delay after delay,” and said that while sports capital grants were welcome, the process must be sped up.

The Sinn Féin TD added, “the standard of football in the League of Ireland has improved dramatically over the years, but the clubs need more help.”

Ward’s colleague, Dublin South Central TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh, asked, “where is the complex for the Sporting Liberties, the umbrella organisation for several local clubs in Dublin 8?”

He noted that The Liberties was recently declared as one of the coolest places in the world to live in by Time Out magazine, but it lacks pitches for football, Gaelic, rugby, hurling, and camogie.

Fianna Fáil TD Cormac Devlin said it was a similar experience down in Dún Laoghaire.

Noting that Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown has enjoyed the benefits of the community sports facilities fund, more work is needed to make sure that everyone can compete.

“In Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, we are already seeing the benefits. Our area received €1.5 million under the community sports facilities fund in 2024 to improve council facilities at Loughlinstown, Meadowbrook and Stonebridge Road in Shankill. Of course, significant funding was also provided to Monkstown Boxing Club for its wonderful clubhouse in Mounttown.”

“Some clubs, though, are still in need of facilities, like Pearse Rovers FC, Granada FC, Shankill GAA and the Olympic Centre of Excellence in the harbour.”

Devlin noted that last November, €4.6 million was allocated under the LSSIF for a new facility at Hyde Park in Dalkey, to be shared between Dalkey United and Cuala GAA.

He said the “flagship project” has the potential to bring “real local dividends” but success “brings pressure and pitches in Dublin are at breaking point.”

“Demand outstrips supply most evenings and weekends, and clubs juggle waiting lists, shorten sessions and undertake long trips across the city and county. If we want participation to grow, we need more playable hours, floodlighting, all-weather upgrades, safer routes to and from facilities and a shared use agreement with schools and colleges on other facilities.”

Devlin said, “equal access matters too. Girls’ teams and disability sports need guaranteed peak time too and not the leftover slots.”

Independent TD Paul Gogarty said that more creative solutions are needed to improve Irish sport.

“In my constituency, Clonburris strategic development zone, SDZ, will be home to 11,000 houses and 20,000 people, but it does not have a fraction of the pitch capacity it needs. There is a case for building up in the inner city and in rapidly growing suburban areas like Clonburris.”

The Independent TD noted that five-a-side pitches can be put on rooftops, as an example.

“The City Edge initiative by Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council is seeing development on old industrial land. Why not put five-a-side pitches on top and leave room down on the ground for GAA, rugby and cricket pitches? With climate change, we will need more all-weather pitches, whether grass or synthetic.”

Gogarty said that multi-use funding should also be explored as a way of improving Ireland’s sporting facilities.

“Years ago, I called for schools to function also as community hubs, subject to child protection, with different rooms suitable for different groups at different hours of the day and with solar panels installed.”

“Every new school should have a full-size pitch on which soccer can be played. It could be used by the school during the day and could operate as a community hub in the evening. That has never been done. We are wasting money when we could be creative if we had some more cross-departmental co-operation.”

The Dublin Mid-West TD said, “funding must be increased. We are still spending too much on horses and greyhounds, as I have mentioned many times. We also need to think smarter about how we spend our money. We must think laterally and outside the box.”

In the Budget itself, the government didn’t increase funding for greyhound racing after it received a boost in the Budget for 2025.

Last year’s Budget saw an increase in funding for greyhounds and Ireland’s racing industry, bringing the total to nearly €100 million.

The Irish Council Against Blood Sports said it is “unacceptable” that the greyhound industry is still being funded, pointing to numerous deaths at the Shelbourne Park greyhound stadium.

“Since 2001, Greyhound Racing Ireland has received €366,986,146 in funding, including €18.2 million for 2023, €19 million for 2024 and €19.82 million for 2025. €19.82 million more has been allocated in Budget 2026; this is unacceptable and must be stopped,” the organisation said.