The Sports Capital Programme which is administered by my Department is the Government's primary vehicle for supporting the development of sports facilities. Under the 2015 round of the Sports Capital Programme, a total of 1,592 applications were received. 891 applications were successful with €41.1 million allocated in total. 238 applications were received from clubs affiliated to the Football Association of Ireland. 104 of these clubs were successful and received a total of €4.9 million. League of Ireland clubs have been supported in previous rounds of the Sports Capital Programme (SCP).
I have no plans to put in place a fund for any one particular sport or National Governing Body. It is important to note that one of the qualifying requirements of the SCP is that applicant clubs provide a minimum percentage of their own funding in order to avail of significant grants under the SCP.
No decision has been made on any future rounds of the Sports Capital Programme. Any interested club or group should register on www.sportscapitalprogramme.ie as this will be the portal through which clubs may apply under any future rounds of the Programme.
