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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 12 Oct 2000

Vol. 524 No. 1

Adjournment Debate. - Sporting Facilities.

I thank the Minister for coming to the House. A few weeks ago the nation was intensely proud of Sonia O'Sullivan and her magnificent achievement in winning the silver medal in the 5000 metres in Sydney. In the aftermath of this magnificent Sydney performance, we had the unedifying dispute between the Minister, Deputy McDaid, and Mr. Pat Hickey of the IOC, with attempts to apportion blame for a perceived lack of achievement by the rest of the Irish team. The Minister deserved a gold medal for brass neck and hypocrisy because the reality is that in three and a half years he has failed to put in place the capital, organisational and coaching resources necessary to enable young Irish athletes give of their best and develop their full potential. Outstanding young Irish athletes are still receiving minimal or no support from the Government.

A striking case in point is the history of Glin Boxing Club in Bonnybrook Parish, Coolock which is in the northside partnership area and is one of the most disadvantaged districts in Ireland. It is a very distinguished boxing club and over 25 years has produced many Irish champions, all-Ireland winners, international boxers and successful competitors in European and World championships under its two outstanding trainers, Tommy Thompson and Shay O'Hare. Usually there are up to 50 youths involved in training and competing.

About two years ago the home ring and gym of Glin Boxing Club was burned when there was a fire at the local Bonnybrook scout troop centre on Bunratty Drive. The club mentors, led by Mr. O'Hare, with strong support from me, tried every available avenue to procure a new gym in Coolock, so far, without success. For one reason, many of the local public venues are chock-a-block with the huge number of voluntary and community bodies in the Coolock area and their associated activities. On at least two occasions, in 1999 and 2000, I have drawn the attention of the Minister, Deputy McDaid, and that of my local colleague, the Minister, Deputy Woods, to this appalling situation but have received neither encouragement nor help. The club could not chase the local sports capital grants last year because it had no home and no address.

The upshot of this disgraceful situation is that for nearly two years a dedicated group of young athletes has been left to train on the streets and in a garden shed belonging to one of the parents. Amazingly, these boxers include the brilliant young Irish international and world junior bronze medallist at fly weight, Darren Campbell of Bonnybrook, who is a product of the great training system run at Glin by Tommy Thompson and Shay O'Hare.

The core of my criticism of the Minister's comments in Sydney is the extraordinary situation where young Darren Campbell was preparing for an Irish international bout against the US in America by effectively training in his father's garden shed and without any proper gym or sporting facilities. The Minister cannot at this stage be taken seriously in relation to the development of local and international sport.

Yesterday the Minister published the report of his Department for 1999 and I note he stresses in his strategic aim that participation in sport and recreation, particularly by disadvantaged communities, is one of his core aims. Yet under the sports capital programme in 1999 he only spent £14.4 million on 416 projects out of nearly 2,000 submissions. It was far too little given the number of clubs throughout Ireland, such as the Glin Boxing Club, which have no facilities and which are in a disgraceful situation. One could spend at least £1 million in each of the 42 Dáil constituencies – Carlow-Kilkenny would be no different – for the next five or six years to try to get our facilities up to scratch if the Minister is serious about putting forward a very strong Irish team in Athens in 2004.

I appreciate that the Minister started the international carding scheme, with £1.1 million being allocated last year, and I understand Darren Campbell was a beneficiary. It seems, however, the Minister is not devoting the kind of resources necessary, not just at local level. Distinguished international sport begins at local level and we must be prepared to put in resources locally. As I previously asked the Minister and the Taoiseach, what is the point in creating an elite campus costing £500 million at Abbotstown on the M50 if we still have athletes, such as the Glin boxers, training on the streets or in this case in a garden shed?

I call on the Minister to match his fine words with action to resolve the outrageous situation of the young boxers in Coolock. Over the past two decades Glin Boxing Club has provided recreational and fitness training for more than 40 young boys and men from Bonnybrook parish in Coolock each week. It is now crucial that the Minister, Deputy McDaid, ends the pointless blather that occurred in Sydney, and takes urgent steps to provide local sports bodies such as Glin Boxing Club with permanent, dedicated gym and training facilities. Is it any wonder only one of our boxers made it to Sydney?

I take the Deputy up on a number of points. I agree with him in congratulating Sonia O'Sullivan on her magnificent achievement, but if the Deputy takes careful cognisance of what I said in Sydney he will know that I will work with anyone for the betterment of Irish sport, but I will certainly not turn a blind eye to what I witnessed happening in Sydney.

Regarding the one boxer who qualified this year, boxing is now an exceptionally difficult area in which to qualify for the Olympics simply because the International Boxing Federation has introduced a new system whereby a boxer must compete in four competitions in order to qualify. It is recognised as an advancement in that area and it is becoming more difficult to qualify.

Regarding the carding scheme, I introduced it for the first time into the country. It was not introduced as a result of Administrations which included the Deputy's party. This year the scheme provided £1.162 million directly to athletes to enable them carry on with training and using the necessary facilities. The carding scheme is on a par with other such schemes. Only the UK scheme compares to it and we are ahead of other countries in Europe, while the schemes in Australia, New Zealand and Canada do not compare at all to our scheme. It is like everything else in terms of starting something and assisting in its development. I hope the carding scheme will be continued in the future and that it has sown the seeds of assistance for many athletes.

I share the Deputy's views that the energy and dedication of voluntary people should be supported in the provision of a range of appropriate sports and recreational facilities around the country. I also acknowledge the contribution which the sport of boxing makes to the character formation of many young people. With this in mind under the Department's sports capital programme, I allocated £35 million to voluntary and community organisations and to local authorities to help them in upgrading, improving, equipping and providing new facilities. This compares with an allocation of £14.6 million last year. This year, under my Department's sports capital programme, I have allocated £36 million to voluntary and community organisations and local authorities to assist them in upgrading, improving, equipping or providing new facilities. In 1997, a sum of £7 million was provided whereas a total of £51 million has been allocated this year. This is by far the largest ever Government allocation for sports and recreational facilities and brings the total allocations made under the programme to £56 million in my two years in office. During those two years, 1,100 projects have been supported and I am waiting for up to 1,700 projects which have already been grant aided to draw down funding. This funding will assist the clubs and groups concerned to develop much needed sports and recreational facilities and will have a major impact on the social, youth and sports aspect of the community involved. It will also provide a high quality, well designed and sustainable infrastructure for sport and recreation. The type of projects being funded under the sports capital programme include multi-purpose sports facilities, community halls, pitches, facilities for individual sports, dressing rooms, etc., in addition to smaller allocations towards the provisions of sports and athletic equipment.

While much remains to be done in regard to the provision of sport and recreational facilities, it is fair to say that we have made a great start in many areas. I am informed that while the organisation in question applied for an equipment grant under the sports capital programme, it did not apply for a grant towards a building. I am awaiting the resolution of an issue between the Irish Sports Council and the Amateur Boxing Association of Ireland concerning a drugs related matter before announcing any allocations for boxing clubs this year. I hope the issue will be resolved satisfactorily.

I intend to publicly advertise the 2001 sports capital programme before the end of this year and the club will then have an opportunity to complete the relevant application. Perhaps it could do so in conjunction with the Deputy. Many of the people involved in these organisations work on a voluntary basis and do not realise that one cannot fill in a form in a slipshod manner; that is not acceptable in view of the level of Exchequer funding which is allocated. The people in the Irish Sports Council would be very happy to assist the Deputy and the club concerned in this regard. The completed form should be forwarded to the Department where it will be assessed for funding under next year's programme in accordance with the criteria and conditions laid down.

I agree with the Deputy that boxing clubs have made a valuable contribution, particularly in dis advantaged areas. The volunteers concerned put their money where their mouths are and become involved in their communities. I receive many GAA and soccer applications but the level of boxing applications has not been satisfactory. It is an area which I would like to assist to a greater degree.

The Dáil adjourned at 5.25 p.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 17 October 2000.

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