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Sport and Recreational Development

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 October 2021

Tuesday, 5 October 2021

Questions (25)

Thomas Gould

Question:

25. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the supports that are being put in place to ensure that young persons return to sports. [47899/21]

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Written answers

Ensuring and assisting the overall resumption capacity of the sports system is a key priority for Government and is the main driver for the considerable financial assistance which the Government is providing to the sporting sector.

In order to facilitate the maximum possible return to sport for people of all ages, I am pleased to confirm that a new special funding package of up to €65 million will be available to support the sport sector this year. Allied to the additional current expenditure of €26.3 million already provided to Sport Ireland, this equates to a total of €91.3 million in additional current funding to support the sport sector in 2021.

Arrangements are currently being made by Sport Ireland for the invitation of applications from NGBs and sports clubs with the aim of distributing this special funding this year. This new package is additional to the €88.5 million that was provided last year, which benefited all levels of the sport sector, including thousands of grassroots clubs and Community Groups across the country.

In addition to these financial supports, which benefit young and old alike, I consider that a public information campaign emphasising the benefits of sport can also contribute to a comprehensive resumption to sporting activity. Sport Ireland started such a campaign yesterday under the title of “Let’s Get Back”. The campaign will run for the next five weeks and is aimed at encouraging members of the public that are anxious or unsure about returning to sport and physical activity that it is possible to do so in a safe and secure manner. The campaign will also collaborate with social media influencers and platforms to promote the message to the younger demographic. The campaign is part of a wider winter initiative to get people back to sport, with activities planned throughout the sports sector, and provides National Governing Bodies with a perfect platform to launch its Autumn and Winter Programmes.

While the pace and extent of the return to sport for all people, is significantly dependent on the capacity of the various sporting organisations and clubs at local level, I hope that these measures will help support organisations and clubs in bringing as many people, including young people, back to sporting activity as quickly as possible.

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