Aontaím le go leor rudaí a bhí daoine sa Teach ag rá. While I fundamentally disagree with the policies of Sinn Féin, I commend two of their Deputies on record. First, I commend Deputy Pa Daly on his invitation to the football match in Mountjoy. It was a very good match. Now, I could not hit snow off a rope and we did lose the match. I am more of a rugby player by build. I would also like to acknowledge Deputy Joanna Byrne. I saw what she went through and I think it is important that we recognise the principle at stake. It took courage when she spoke out with passion and conviction on Palestine, especially given the repercussions. Anyone, particularly those standing for something they believe in, should be able to stand over their views without facing pressure from external forces out of their roles. I place on record my support for Deputy Byrne and I commend her on standing by her principles on such an important issue. At the same time, I would like to say we did have a good match in Shelbourne FC when her team was visiting. We were sitting beside each other. Thankfully, we won that game. I am a Shels fan. Football would not be the sport of choice but it is definitely a club I have so much admiration for, including the men, the women and the dedicated staff volunteering at a youth level and throughout the club. Progress is being made. A lot of the clubs feeding into Shels, which I represent, are facing challenges around facilities and funding. As for the work being done in Shels on and off the pitch, the additional needs team established by Finian McGrath and Ann Murray is a brilliant example of what football should be about, namely, inclusion, community and opportunity for every child. I look forward to welcoming them to the House in two weeks' time. I commend Ann Murray on all she has done. It does not get enough recognition. She recently invited me to a briefing on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, in sports and how we should encourage young people and change our coaching methods for them. One of the best things I took from that was that when coaches across the north Dublin area asked how they could better teach children, the response was to just let them play, not make them be doing something that puts too much on them and let them enjoy the sport. It was very much taken on board by everyone. That is what grassroots football at its best is about. Going back to what multiple Deputies said, we need to get serious about academies. If we are going to get serious about the grassroots, we need to do so for our men's and women’s teams. I commend them both on how they are getting on. Obviously, we did not get on as well in Prague as we would have liked, but we definitely believed for a good few minutes anyway. The truth, if we are being honest and we have been saying this for years, is that we are not delivering. I welcome that the Minister of State held a meeting with me and other Deputies on this issue. Right now, football in Ireland is upside down. I reached out to the chairs of multiple clubs in my constituency over the past three days. One text I got back said that exceptional weather pitches of clubs that do not have the same form of ownership should be prioritised by Dublin City Council. AstroTurf pitches are closed consistently. The recent success of the men’s and women’s national team started at the grassroots level. It is important to provide facilities that will develop boys and girls at the grassroots level and that will lead to them representing our country with pride. Very simply, that is what everyone has been saying across the board. Grassroots football is the largest participative sport in the country and yet receives nowhere near the capital investment it deserves. This is the reality on the ground. I am blue in the face talking in here about Kilmore Celtic and how its pitches were taken over by another professional club. I have asked the Minister of State to look into this and I would love to see if anything was coming back. There is not only Kilmore Celtic, but also Clontarf, St. Kevin’s, and, on the edge of my constituency, Belvedere, Raheny United, Bayside, St. Malachy's and Ayrfield United FC. Many parents are dedicating their mornings but the facilities are not good enough. If we improve the facilities and get in the toilets in order that young men and young women are not discouraged from playing football, that would really help to keep young people active, build their discipline and provide structure. Níl siad ag lorg go leor rudaí nach bhfuilimid in ann a dhéanamh. Tá sé an-éasca leithreas a chur in áiteanna a bhfuil páistí ag iarraidh peil a imirt. Facilities across the board are inadequate and inconsistent. With regards to AstroTurf pitches, sometimes I think Brent geese have more rights than young kids in this country. We have a huge problem with mental health and with obesity but the majority of the pitches in north Dublin have been waterlogged, especially at the start of this year. I understand that we need to protect nature, but sometimes we need to work together, collaboratively and in parallel to both allow young people to have access to playable pitches and protect nature. The strategic decisions are made from the top down. I am going to do something here I do not do regularly. I am going to mention a club outside of Dublin Bay North, and actually outside of Leinster. Moyne Villa has shown how investment in artificial surfaces can transform participation. Since 2022, there has been more training and more sessions and more players staying involved. Recently, I visited the club’s facilities. I thank PJ Walsh for the invitation. We need to follow up on this and bring this model into place across the board. Bringing back what I saw in Moyne Villa to the context of the clubs in the constituency I represent, and I have said this before in respect of Kilmore Celtic, the toilet facilities on the Oscar Traynor Road need to be properly addressed. Hundreds of kids do not have a toilet. They have to cross the road and knock on someone’s door to go to the jacks. There is a long-standing need for all-weather facilities in the Coolock area. The youth club there should be opened immediately and not delayed and not discussed. An all-weather pitch in Memorial Park has not been touched for five and a half months. That is not a delay. It is a loss of time for young people. They missed training. We had the highest levels of rain in the first three months of this year than we have ever had before. We are all asking about this issue. When we ask clubs to navigate complex grant systems on top of all that, we have to be honest. The grassroots clubs do not have the administrative capacity in some cases to chase these funding streams. I welcome that the Department is bringing the sports capital grant forward. I ask that the clubs get a clear demonstration from the council on how to apply. The bottom line here is that I represent north Dublin and I will always stand for what is right but these clubs are not asking for much. Tá siad ag lorg gnáth rudaí agus tá sé an-éasca dúinn na rudaí atá siad ag lorg a dhéanamh.

Sentiment score: 0.22