2026-06-11

70. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the measures he is taking to support grassroots sports clubs in north Dublin that are experiencing increased demand due to population growth; whether he is satisfied that existing funding programmes are sufficient to meet infrastructure needs, including in respect of pitches, clubhouses, changing facilities, lighting and accessibility improvements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44489/26]

Ba mhaith liom ceist a chur ar an Aire Stáit faoi chúrsaí spóirt i dtuaisceart Bhaile Átha Cliath. Is iontach an infheistíocht atá déanta sa chlub Shells, but what steps are being taken to support grassroots sports clubs across north Dublin, including with clubhouses and changing facilities, in light of the recent bad weather? The weather this year, certainly the rain, was the worst in a long time. Multiple sports clubs had young girls and boys who could not play because of the lack of all-weather pitches.

I thank the Deputy for his question and for his ongoing advocacy for the role that sport plays in our communities. I was glad to join him recently for a visit to Shelbourne Football Club. It was great to see the work happening there. I know the club recently completed a new astro pitch, which is making a real difference. One of my key goals as Minister of State for sport is to see an increase in participation levels. As the Deputy pointed out, the availability of access to sports facilities, whether in a club setting, on public lands or in other amenity areas, is a key factor in drawing more people to participation in sport. Planning for future facilities' needs, locations and types is a particular focus of our current sports action plan. Through the sports action plan, we have two particular funds aimed at delivering funding to clubs. Those funds are the community sport facilities fund and the large-scale sport infrastructure fund. Over the past decade, over €96 million has been allocated to 1,435 sporting projects in Dublin under the community sport facilities fund, benefitting 57 different sport types. Given the challenges of increased demand and a growing population, I consider that there is real merit in the development of municipally-backed shared facilities. As my Department does not purchase the land, local authorities have a key role to play here, including through the development plan process and through the processes by which they secure and acquire land. I also encourage sports' national governing bodies to work with local authorities to ensure that the land can be used to deliver sporting facilities. My Department is engaging with local authorities, particularly in Dublin, to see how we can work together to ensure we get maximum impact from the funding that will be put in there and particularly to see how we can address that challenge around land and space. We must ensure there are facilities available in communities for people to participate in.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit agus le gach duine atá ag obair sa Department faoi láthair. I thank the men and women of Dublin City Council, go háirithe na laethanta seo. They have put in more toilets than we have seen previously and are doing work in north Dublin. North Dublin has been neglected for too long. It is one of the main reasons I got involved. It is great to see that there is work being done. I thank the council for all the work at the Kilmore West Recreation Centre and the all-weather pitch at the Stardust Memorial Park, which I recently visited. I spoke to one of the executives in Dublin City Council and it is good to see that things are moving. The Minister mentioned the multi-sport complex systems that we see in parts of southern European cities where all clubs use the facilities. It is not just one single clubhouse. Any club can use those facilities. That is an approach we should consider. We in Ireland need to move away from the idea of clubhouses for single clubs. We can put in more money, get better facilities for all clubs and get grassroots participation up. I also want to ask about Killester Basketball Club, one of the largest basketball clubs with the largest number of female players. I would love for the Department to bring it any attention.

I thank the Deputy. I outlined previously that nearly 1,500 projects have been supported across Dublin through the community sport facilities fund. That has a big impact on communities, as I know the Deputy knows. We want to continue and do more in that regard. The benefit of building those facilities is that we are seeing increased participation. We are particularly seeing more and more young girls playing sport at the same level as young boys, and staying with it. That brings pressure and a need for more facilities. We are going to continue to invest but we want to do so in as strategic a way as possible. We are working with local authorities to ensure we are making the most of the land available. That involves working with local authorities and encouraging national governing bodies to work together to see where they can collaborate. We must structure the community sport facilities fund in a way that encourages that collaboration. In the next round, we will be focusing strongly on encouraging schools to work with clubs. Often, there are school facilities that investment could significantly improve or through which new facilities could be developed. They can be available to students during the day and to the community outside of school time. We can maximise the impact and return on investment.

I appreciate that update. We will kill two birds with one stone with that approach. We will give children the opportunity at break time in school to get away from the books and get onto the pitch to play football, rugby or whatever they want to play. The club would then benefit later. There are two projects I would love to highlight. I welcome Dublin City Council's plan for an 11-a-side, 3G all-weather pitch. As the Minister of State knows, Dublin produces the best footballers. I will also mention the upgrade to all-weather pitches at Stardust Memorial Park and in Kilmore West Recreation Centre. Dublin Bay North is a broad constituency, which runs from Fairview to Howth and Darndale. Across the constituency, there is a lack of these all-weather pitches. I welcome the fact that the Department is looking at that issue. The Minister mentioned continuing to increase the participation levels for young women and boys and ensuring they continue to play sports. We need to give them all-weather pitches and nearby toilets. It makes it easier for parents and the hard-working coaches coming down on a Saturday night. I appreciate that.

The Deputy and I could have a debate about which county produces the best footballers. There would, however, be no debate about which county produces the best goalkeepers for the number 1 jersey. We want to ensure that the investment we are making this time around delivers the biggest impact. We want to ensure clubs collaborate. There is some low-hanging fruit in our education system. Schools could do with better facilities and if we can put the facilities on the school grounds where a club is working with the school, there will be a great dividend for the community on all fronts. We will focus on working in education and with local authorities. That is the message we have been getting out there. We will push hard once we launch the round over the summer to ensure we get the best possible bang for the investment we are putting in. We want legs on the ground, lungs being busted and people getting great enjoyment from their involvement in sport.