Picking up on the last speaker's comments, I too express my solidarity with Deputy Byrne and acknowledge the very difficult period she has been through and how well she has held herself throughout. I congratulate the Republic of Ireland women’s team on their win yesterday against Poland in the World Cup qualifiers. I will speak about sportswashing, grassroots facilities, the League of Ireland and supporting the women’s game at this critical juncture. Football is the largest participation sport in the world and the largest participation sport in Ireland. It has such potential for good in our world but sportswashing is a blight on the game and has been rampant over the last period. FIFA and UEFA permitting Israel’s Nations League participation while a genocide is carried out is both abhorrent and damaging. It is also wrong that the decision was made by the FAI to participate in the Nations League Israel fixture. However, it has been heartening to see our domestic football community’s response to the genocide and to sportswashing. In November, a resolution was passed by FAI members to submit a motion to UEFA to ban Israel from its European club and international competitions. The resolution requested the immediate suspension of Israel from European competitions and cited violations by Israel’s football association of two provisions of UEFA statutes, the first being its failure to implement and enforce an effective anti-racism policy and the second being Israeli clubs playing in occupied Palestinian territory without the consent of the Palestinian Football Association. Some 63% of our domestic league players who are members of the Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland voted against Ireland fulfilling the Nations League Israel fixture and celebrated managers like Brian Kerr and Stephen Bradley have used their voices to condemn the sportswashing being carried out - and this is sportswashing. Week in and week out, fans at games hold Palestine flags in the stands to call for solidarity with the people of Gaza and the West Bank. This response by so many involved in Irish football is truly something to be proud of in the face of unprecedented attempts at sportswashing. As the Social Democrats spokesperson on sports people come to me with their many concerns about the funding and governance of sport here, including football and including my constituency of Dublin Rathdown. Pitch space, especially in urban areas, is increasingly difficult for clubs to secure. Rosemount Mulvey Football Club in Dundrum have had to fight so hard for a second pitch and have told me of the very real fear of having to turn kids away because they simply cannot accommodate more members. While I am confident Rosemount’s particular issue will soon be resolved, other clubs around the country are experiencing the same pitch issues. Many clubs struggle with a lack of facilities for playing, changing and conditioning, and in Ireland only 34% of clubs at grassroots level have female toilets. We know what the dropout rates are for girls in sport so basic facility provision is an absolute must. We have to meet the moment when it comes to football in Ireland. It is fantastic to see crowds making their way to Dalymount after work for evening fixtures or families making the trip to watch a Rovers game in Tallaght Stadium at the weekend. The growth in our domestic game is undeniable. Viewership is up, attendance is up and participation across demographics is up, as are the crucial gifts to society delivered by football and sport more widely, like community, respect, solidarity, integration, friendship, health and well-being. However, in order to harness this growth, we must invest in it through the community sports facilities fund, the large-scale sports infrastructure fund and every avenue we have. The women’s game is certainly an area that needs continued and further investment. As a staff member of a League of Ireland club said to my office yesterday, you cannot grow the game from success; you have to prime it for success. We have the potential to be a top-tier nation in the game and we are at an important and exciting time with growth in women’s football, so let us deliver for our domestic league, elite pathways and our national side and be vanguards for equality in football. Media coverage is another area that is important for the women’s game. It is great to see increased coverage of our women’s fixtures over the last number of years but we need to see this in broader media coverage. Niamh Tallon, founder of Her Sport, highlighted recently that the FAI and RTÉ both put out messaging that the men’s World Cup qualifiers could lead to the first World Cup qualification by Ireland in 20 years, which ignored the fact that the women’s squad competed in the 2023 World Cup. These standards and recognition matter in coverage. I mention also League of Ireland women because there really is something magic with that league. Today, I am proud to wear the kit of my local club, DLR Waves. The standard of football and incredible athletes we have in DLR Waves and across the league as well as the fan communities building around the country are phenomenal and I urge everyone here to get to a fixture. I add my condemnation of the Minister’s comments and reaction as classist, divisive and harmful to people and to a sport that is the lifeblood of so many of our most deprived communities.

Sentiment score: 0.13