139. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport whether any specific funding is available for capital projects for women’s sports where the organisation does not currently own a playing pitch. [16724/26]

Sentiment score: -0.05

Will the Minister of State outline whether any specific funding is available for capital projects for women's sports where the organisations do not currently own a playing pitch?

Sentiment score: -0.15

I am very passionate about women's sports. My wife and daughters play camogie. In the constituency I am from, so many young women and girls are successful in sport. Tonight, unfortunately, the soccer team was beaten 2-1 by France and a girl from Knocknaheeny, Denise O'Sullivan, was playing centre field. There are girls like Amy O'Connor and Amy Lee playing Cork senior camogie and winning all-Irelands, Nathalie O'Brien playing in a world cup, basketballer Edel Thornton, Ellie Murray in boxing and Megan Leahy in taekwondo - brilliant young women and girls, but none of them owns a pitch or a facility. As the Minister of State said, if you do not have a lease you cannot get capital funding. A week ago, Wexford went to Clare to play a camogie match. They had nowhere to tog out beforehand, the pitch was a disgrace and there were no hot showers afterwards. It would not be accepted in any male sport but it is acceptable for women. The lease has to be worked on. Women need sports; they need pitches.

Sentiment score: 0.16

The Minister of State must have no concept of what is happening in women's sports. In Cork we have a club, Glanmire ladies football, that is one of the biggest in the county, if not the country. In 2017, it was a junior B club; in 2018, it won the junior A all-Ireland; and in 2024, it won the intermediate all-Ireland. It has four adult teams but the problem is the boys club has five adult teams. The boys do not have enough pitches, so where does that leave the girls? The president of the club, Brian Lotty, told me this evening they have not been on the pitch this year because they have nowhere to go. This is a club with hundreds of members in one of the biggest areas of Cork city, namely Glanmire, and it does not have any playing pitches. Glanmire ladies football is only an example. Will the Government and Minister of State make funding available for them to buy land to put a pitch on? Will the Minister of State fund female sports - soccer, GAA, rugby and others - so they can purchase land to put pitches on? Right now in Glanmire and clubs like it, women are treated like second-class citizens and it is not right.

Sentiment score: 0.03

I spoke to them. There is no land in Glanmire.

Sentiment score: -0.15

Minister of State, would you look at it at least?

Sentiment score: 0.00