I thank my colleague Deputy Smith for working tirelessly to get these statements on the agenda of the House. I pay tribute to the senior women’s team on their win last night. Soccer is often seen as the sport of the working class. From the outset, when clubs and teams were established by workers in industry and in working-class communities, up to the present day, soccer clubs have played a pivotal role in communities. Modern professional soccer may be dominated by money and the wealthy, but it is ordinary working people who make the sport what it is. Whether it is in Cork, Dublin or Belfast, soccer has deep roots in Ireland. It continues to be the most participated in team sport in the country according to Sport Ireland’s Irish Sports Monitor 2024. At a push, all you need are two hoodies and some semblance of a ball to kick around the street and you have yourself a game. The recent utterances of the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, about collective punishment for the League of Ireland exposed the clear dissociation and neglect the sport is often the subject of in Ireland. The funding made available through the Department each year must be fairly distributed as it is often the case that soccer clubs are the ones scrambling for a pittance while others thrive. As with many sports, it is the community at grassroots level that keeps soccer alive and thriving. We can see it all over Ireland. In my constituency and in my town we even have two clubs, Mallow United AFC and Mallow Town Football Club. The prosperity and success of community clubs is reliant on the volunteering and fundraising of dedicated members of our communities. Clubs like Mallow United host "Strictly Come Dancing" type events to raise funds for their facilities, like the one in the Charleville Park Hotel on Saturday, 18 April to which I will be lending my dancing skills, or lack thereof, in support. Not only do we see this positive reflection on community at grassroots level, we also see professional clubs like Cork City Football Club and their community kit room initiative that provides good condition goalkeeper gloves, jerseys, training gear, boots, used footballs, training bibs and cones at no cost, supporting those in the community who otherwise would go without. That is what soccer is: the people's game, a unifier, and the world's game. I want to touch on the Nations League fixture between Ireland and Israel. I will not waste anyone's time by asking the Minister of State with responsibility for sport to do anything here, but I will say that this game should not be going ahead. Israel should be banned from participation in FIFA and UEFA competitions. The Israel Football Association has breached multiple UEFA and FIFA statutes. Six Israeli clubs play on occupied territories - Palestinian lands. There are reports that over 500 people associated with the Palestinian FA have been murdered by Israeli forces. The governing bodies are failing the sport with Israel's continued inclusion. No Irish player should be put in a position where they have to compete against a team representing a state like that. Any player who feels in good conscience that he or she cannot participate should be fully supported by the association and by the Department of sport. One thing is for sure, the fans will support them.

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