The Minister of State will be relieved to know I am not going to name all of the football clubs in Dublin West because there are too many. It shows the strength of football in our community. The clubs exist not because of Government funding but in spite of it. Most of the money they use in their clubs is received through fundraising. They have to go through hoops to get every cent. Some of the figures are staggering, with 245,000 registered players, 80,000 volunteers and 60 clubs, and there will be 100 clubs next year with regard to Football for All. As a lifelong Bohemians supporter I have visited most stadiums in Ireland and I hope that one day in a united Ireland we will have a united league. I am genuinely shocked that the Minister of State can talk about the growth in the League of Ireland without being deeply embarrassed. Yes, the growth in attendance across the League of Ireland has skyrocketed but this is in no way accredited to anything the Government has done. Most grounds are in dire need of refurbishment and some need to be completely knocked down and rebuilt. Only one ground in the Twenty-six Counties can hold a European match. The credit for the massive increase in interest lies solely with the clubs. The Minister of State spoke about the massive increase in women's and girl's football, and it is fantastic, but the lack of facilities is shocking. We have girls and boys in our public parks with zero toilet facilities. We have many clubs still using steel containers as changing rooms and club facilities. This year due to the bad weather many grass pitches were closed for months on end, putting massive pressure on the all-weather facilities. Some are lucky to have them and most are not. Beyond national pride, football also delivers a significant economic and social value. Grassroots football has shown a €1.8 billion social return on investment, with €17.64 for every €1 invested in the sport. Last year the FAI presented an €80 million plan over 11 years to build infrastructure. Think about the fact that greyhounds and horses got a 2026 budget allocation of €99.1 million for one year and think of the statistics I listed at the beginning. The vast majority of the people oppose the upcoming Ireland-Israel game. It is beyond comprehension, given the team with members of the murderous Israeli army and I will not insult the victims of genocide by calling it a defence force. I will do my utmost to prevent that game from going ahead. I will leave the Minister of State with this. On 16 July 2014 at approximately 3.30 p.m. Israeli forces fired three missiles that killed four boys while they were playing football on Gaza City's fishing beach. I will never forget that and I believe most people will never forget the scenes of those four young boys playing football. How dare the Government stand here and allow the game to go ahead?

Sentiment score: 0.05