I welcome this debate on support for football throughout the country. I welcome the Minister of State's commitment to invest in football. I also welcome the investment in academies that was announced for this year. We have seen new leadership within the FAI. The vision those people have for our national teams, the League of Ireland and grassroots football is critical. As others have said, the investment we will see as part of the next round of the sports capital fund is very important in that regard. Clubs that work in partnership with other clubs and local authorities and that are the backbone of the communities we all live in must receive support. I know this from speaking to people from many of the clubs I meet with regularly in my community. I echo the comments about how it is often difficult to get access to land in fast-growing areas and urban centres. There must be regard for fast-growing communities and the pressure they are under. I represent one of the fastest growing constituencies in the country. I look at Gorey Rangers, which my dad was involved in founding in 1962 and which is attracting so many young people who are coming into the town and playing on the schoolboys’ and schoolgirls’ teams. They need the support to be able to develop more pitches. It is similar with Gorey Celtic. There is also Courtown Hibs. Courtown Riverchapel is now the fifth largest urban settlement in County Wexford. Courtown Hibs is by far the largest sporting club in that community. It is incredibly inclusive, particularly in what it is doing for those with disabilities. I look at Arklow Town FC, founded in 1948, which is the backbone of Arklow and supported by people within the community. There is also St. Joseph's in Kilmuckridge, which is a huge club in a rural and strong GAA area. Yet, this is a club with over 500 members that works closely with Coláiste an Átha, the secondary school in Kilmuckridge. There is Tombrack United in a really small community, but everybody is involved because in many of our communities they are not just involved in the soccer clubs or the local school. They are involved in every aspect of what happens. Soccer clubs are not just for playing football. It is about how they contribute toward community life. What we have to be about as a Government and as a society is not just building housing, which we really need, we must also communities. That is about investing in community, sports and cultural facilities, and providing soccer pitches is critically important. I look forward to working with the Minister of State on the next round of sports capital grants, which will be announced in the coming months, and, in particular, on supporting the clubs that are doing so much to build our communities and grassroots football.

Sentiment score: 0.17