I thank Deputy Byrne for the question. I know these are funds she has a strong interest in. As the Deputy knows, my Department operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the community sports facilities fund, CSFF, and the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. Sporting organisations can apply directly for CSFF funding while applications to the LSSIF must be made through either a national governing body, NGB, of a sport or a local authority. The Department made a total of 2,500 CSFF payments to over 1,400 sporting organisations in 2025, with a total value of just over €71 million. Details of all CSFF payments made to clubs in 2025 are available on the Department's website. That is relevant to the Deputy's question. Payments to LSSIF grantees in 2025 totalled just under €25 million. Details of those payments are available on the Department's website. I will ask my Department to send the links directly to the Deputy. I am acutely aware of the need to assist all applicants, in particular first-time and rural organisations, in advance of the next funding round in terms of guidance on the scheme itself and on the application process. In this regard, I am currently inviting sporting organisations to information and consultation evenings on the CSFF. We held one of those in County Louth just before Christmas. We held another in Galway East and another will be held in Kilkenny this coming Thursday. The feedback from these information evenings is valuable to the Department to better understand the experiences, needs and challenges faced by clubs and other organisations. This feedback will be an important input to our preparations for the next round. My aim is to have as many eligible sporting bodies as possible in a position to apply so that the Government is in a position to support them in the important work they do at community and grassroots levels.
Sentiment score: 0.20
Our objective is to try to make the application process for both the sports facilities fund and the large-scale infrastructure fund as accessible and workable for clubs as possible. Obviously, when it comes to the large-scale infrastructure fund, the grants are of a much more significant scale - into the millions - and there is therefore more involved in the application process. We take on board the views of local authorities and the national governing bodies in relation to the prioritisation of those. We have had two rounds since 2019 of the large-scale sport infrastructure fund. The fund was recommended as part of the national sports strategy. There had not been a fund to cater for projects of this scale before. It was a really important step to ensure that there was funding for projects of scale to be able to be supported by the Government. Obviously, the demand is larger than the supply. Under the national development plan, though, we have funding for another round over the course of this Government. We will be looking to ensure that we engage with sporting organisations, local authorities and national governing bodies in advance of that to make sure that the process is as practical as possible while being robust at the same time.
Sentiment score: 0.21
It is something that we bore in mind. We are aiming at having a new round of the sports capital fund by early summer. We will certainly be taking on board the feedback we receive before then from sports clubs around the country and Deputies on trying to make sure that it is as accessible as possible. I know there have been challenges in the past. The smaller the organisation, the more challenging and daunting it can seem to apply. We do not want that to be the case. In terms of how we structure it, while we will have to have a robust and fair system, we also want to make sure it is an accessible system. That will be to the forefront of our minds in the final framing of the application process.
Sentiment score: 0.16
I thank Deputy O'Donoghue for his question on an important issue. As we know, everyone involved in sport in any capacity, regardless of age, should be able to enjoy an experience that is free from any form of abuse. The creation of a culture that promotes the safety and welfare of all involved must be at the core of the operations of all of our national governing bodies of sport. Sport Ireland, as the authority tasked with the development of sport in Ireland, works with the NGBs to ensure that appropriate safeguarding and athlete welfare policies are put in place, as well as mechanisms to handle complaints or issues when they arise. Sport Ireland launched a national code of conduct template for sporting organisations in 2023, setting out guidelines and principles promoting the behaviours and conduct expected from athletes, coaches, parents and guardians as well as supporters, referees and officials, and club members. All NGBs were asked to use this template code of conduct as an opportunity to review their existing policies and procedures for handling code breaches in order to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all involved in Irish sport. In 2025, Sport Ireland commissioned Safe Sport International to conduct a needs analysis in the area of safe sport for adults. The analysis included extensive consultation with sport sector stakeholders, safe sport advocates and other relevant stakeholders, including people with lived experience in this area. Sport Ireland is currently considering the resultant report, which will be central to informing future guidance. Sport Ireland has an extensive suite of guidelines and codes of practice for the protection of children in sport, consistent with child protection guidance and legislation. There is regular communication between Sport Ireland and NGBs regarding NGBs' responsibilities in these areas. As Minister of State, I fully support the implementation of effective safeguarding policies and procedures for adults and children across the sports sector while acknowledging that NGBs are independent, autonomous organisations responsible for their own governance, including safeguarding procedures and disciplinary and complaints processes.
Sentiment score: 0.48
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It is crucial that everyone has a security and safety support network around them to ensure they can safely participate in sport. This takes a lot of effort by our clubs to make sure those structures are in place. It also forms a key part of the Government's work, with Sport Ireland, to ensure support and guidance are provided to NGBs. That is fully expected and required of the NGBs to continue to be able to avail of State support and funding. The ongoing work by clubs in all sports is exceptional. It takes massive voluntary effort by people every evening and at weekends to make sure support is available to young people and adults to participate in sports and structures are in place to ensure they are safe and protected from risk. We will continue to make sure this at the core of everything we do from a sporting point of view.
Sentiment score: 0.48
Sport Ireland sets the criteria. It has a strong set of criteria for child safeguarding compliance. It is a compulsory requirement for NGBs and a critical element of NGB funding. These criteria are reviewed twice annually. NGBs are required to submit their child safeguarding statements to Sport Ireland for review. Sport Ireland expects all funded organisations, as does the Government which funds Sport Ireland, to maintain those high standards of governance, strategic planning and operational delivery, including but not limited to coaching, development, anti-doping and safeguarding. Failure to meet these standards that are agreed to, whether through governance shortcomings, failure to deliver on strategic objectives, financial mismanagement or actions that not supportive of the commitments to national programmes, such as safeguarding, may result in a range of consequences, including repayment, cessation of funding, suspension or termination of funding or of formal recognition. We have a strong oversight mechanism in place and we will continue to keep a strong focus on it.
Sentiment score: 0.17