We discussed this in good detail earlier, but the objective will be to ensure there is as much of a legacy and impact across the country from the hosting of Euro 2028 as possible. Being able to host seven games as part of the tournament, including the quarter final, is a great opportunity. I have no doubt it will really take hold of the country over the course of the period. As I said, we estimate the cost at €92 million to €93 million. The economic return to the wider economy will be much more significant than that and it makes a lot of sense from that point of view but we also want to ensure there is a return in the form of an impact on participation in football and sport generally and that we maximise that as much as we can. We are just under three years away from the hosting of that tournament. We are engaging in very strong detail with other organisations and national agencies to make sure it impacts as strongly as possible. We are also engaging with the FAI on discussions about the legacy piece and how we can best maximise the impact of that. I certainly hope we will have another football tournament to participate in between now and then, depending on how the play-offs go in March, but Euro 2028 is a very exciting opportunity for the country. We will work across the board with all stakeholders to make sure we maximise the impact of it in every way possible.
Sentiment score: 0.44
We are certainly determined, from a Government point of view, to maximise the opportunity and to ensure from a point of view of participation that every opportunity is taken to ensure it cuts through and gets people involved in football and other sport. The commitment of the Government in the most recent budget to football and the establishment of academies speaks to how we have been supporting football very strongly in the country. While at Government level will be doing all we can, there is no doubt moments like last weekend and the inspiration provided by Troy Parrott and the rest of the team encourage participation and young people. I recall watching matches in tournaments in the past and I would be bursting out the door afterwards, even if I was on my own, to hit the ball. That is the type of thing that really cuts through and inspires and energise people to participate in sport. From a Government point of view, in terms of the investment and policy structure, we will be doing all we can to maximise that and provide the opportunity for people to participate and engage.
Sentiment score: 0.59
We should not forget the support that we have given to football over the past number of years, which we continue to give. Some €75 million was allocated to the FAI between 2019 and 2024, with €30 million specifically to support football development aimed at promoting participation by young people. That has been added to in the most recent budget through the investment in the academies and the very significant ongoing investment through the community sports facilities fund, which supports the work of soccer clubs right across the country in developing their facilities, and through the large scale sport infrastructure fund, through which we have made significant commitments to the development of Dalymount Park, Wexford Youths' stadium, Sligo Rovers' grounds and, significantly, Finn Harps' Finn Park in Donegal. That is something we have been doing and that we continue to do. We now want to make sure the opportunity provided by Euro 2028 adds to that very significantly in a way that lasts into the future.
Sentiment score: 0.39
I thank the Deputy. He has been a strong advocate, as has the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, for sports capital development and for backing clubs in his constituency. We are preparing to reopen to new applications for the community sports facility fund by the end of spring with the objective of making funding announcements by the end of next year. The recent pattern has generally been a round every two years. The 2024 round saw record funding of about €270 million in total. Over 3,000 clubs across the country benefited from it. The round before that was about €160 million, so there has been a significant step change. The round two years before that was in double digits, around €80 million. That is a reflection of where the Government has gone to back the ambition of clubs and organisations across the country to develop sporting facilities. We are really ramping it up and we are seeing the benefit of it everywhere in terms of improved facilities. They are needed. We are seeing improved participation in sport across all age groups and massive efforts are being put in by the clubs and volunteers in terms of facilitating people and giving opportunities. Of course, that puts pressure on facilities. There is barely a club you could visit that is not under pressure for space and capacity. It is important we continue to support that effort and that is what we will do next year. We are completing a review of the outgoing sports capital - our community sports facility fund round - in relation to how it worked to make sure when we open it up next time around it is as practical as possible for clubs to apply and benefit from it. The objective is to have that ready to be opened by the end of spring.
Sentiment score: 0.25
This is something Deputy Smith is committed to and he has been speaking to me about it separately. I look forward to visiting the Deputy and Deputy Maxwell in the constituency in advance of the next round opening up, and making sure that we provide every opportunity for clubs to apply and to be funded. It is wonderful to see the impact and the value for money that any investment by the Government results in. When it comes into a club, you see everyone come together. You see people giving voluntarily of their time, not only in terms of the work that goes on day in, day out, every week day and weekend, providing coaching but also when it comes to developing that club, with people coming together to work, often voluntarily as well, to make sure that whatever funding is there from the Government and through fundraising goes as far as it possibly can. We will be back at that next year with the reopening of the sports facility fund.
Sentiment score: 0.39
First, and as I have previously and consistently said, it is imperative that it is made clear that there is simply no place for abuse of any kind in sport and that there is zero tolerance for any actions that endanger welfare, whether for participants, staff or those who work for and support sports across the country. Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, works with national governing bodies of sport, NGBs, to ensure that appropriate policies are put in place to take a proactive approach to safeguarding by identifying and mitigating risks to athlete welfare. It also works with national governing bodies to ensure mechanisms are in place to appropriately react to and handle complaints or issues when they arise. Sport Ireland has informed my Department that when alerted to athlete welfare concerns within the sport in question, it reacted sympathetically, promptly and robustly to the issues within the context of its own statutory remit. Rowing Ireland, in consultation with Sport Ireland, undertook an independent review after the 2024 Paris Olympics and this prompted changes within its high-performance programme. The previous high-performance director, on conclusion of his contract, has departed the role and the programme is now operating under new leadership. It is also important to note that all national governing bodies are independent autonomous organisations responsible for their own governance, including safeguarding procedures, personnel choices, and disciplinary and complaints processes.
Sentiment score: 0.22
Sport Ireland has a comprehensive approach to athlete well-being and that is reflected in its athlete welfare policy under the high performance strategy, which runs from 2021 to 2032. To support that policy, national governing bodies are expected to develop their own internal documents, which reflect best practice strategies in respect of athlete welfare. In 2021, Sport Ireland introduced a culture evolution programme to support national governing bodies to protect and maximise the holistic experience and welfare of athletes, coaches and support staff. This includes a culture review process, an audit delivered by the high performance culture and integrity adviser. That high performance culture and integrity adviser was appointed in 2021 to support that process and to support that engagement with the national governing bodies as well. In August 2023, a new national code of conduct template for sporting organisations was launched by Sport Ireland. That code of conduct template sets out the guidelines and principles and promotes the behaviour and conduct expected from our athletes, coaches, parents, guardians, supporters, referees, officials and club members.
Sentiment score: 0.57
We do it by having the right policies and support network in place, as I said, in terms of the work over the past three or four years, in terms of developing the national approach and the programme to support this and, in particular, the appointment of the high performance culture and integrity adviser to support that work. The latter is an important piece to do with it. Sport Ireland certainly is leading out on this. We very much support that work and acknowledge the absolute importance of it too.
Sentiment score: 0.52