The national lottery-funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations at local, regional and national level throughout the country. The programme is advertised on an annual basis.
The Football Association of Ireland, the governing body for soccer in Ireland, has been allocated two sports capital grants of €225,000 in 2003 and €100,000 in 2004 towards the provision of equipment required for the FAI's development programmes.
I have listed below the funding allocations since 1998 to projects classified as soccer projects, which would include Eircom League clubs, district junior and schoolboy leagues and clubs and also some municipal community soccer facilities.
|
€ million
|
1998
|
0.89
|
1999
|
4.10
|
2000
|
6.92
|
2001
|
8.62
|
2002
|
19.98
|
2003
|
9.17
|
In relation to the 2004 sports capital programme, I announced on 7 May provisional funding allocations totalling €50.8 million, of which €8.05 million was to soccer projects. I will shortly be making further announcements under the 2004 programme in respect of funding for projects of major significance which, while meeting local needs, will also add considerably to the national and regional sporting infrastructure which is required both for increasing levels of participation and improving standards of performance.