Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Most people have raised the matters I wished to discuss. A national sports policy is welcome. The goal is to increase participation in all sports in Ireland. Many years ago soccer had "Participation Through Fun" and once we get people participating, it is wonderful. There was mention of the remarkable run of the women's hockey team to the world cup final. I highlight it again. It is not just for the Minister and Minister of State but I wanted to work on an all-Ireland hockey team to play in the Commonwealth Games last year. We did not get the buy-in from many of the various organisations in a political sense or nationally. The Commonwealth Games take place every four years or midway between Olympic Games. What is happening in national sports is incredible but the Commonwealth Games are an extra goal that could be worked towards. It is a political issue in some senses but the games have 52 participants, 32 of which are republics. It has a potential audience of 2.4 billion people. Our enhanced participation could ensure that athletes in the Republic of Ireland would have the same opportunities as people in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. I seek the views of the Minister and Minister of State on this despite the controversy. We are beginning to come of age, if we consider what happened last Sunday and the centenary of the armistice, as well as what is to happen during the decade of commemorations. We have come a long way.

I am amazed that there are still 2,337 applications for the sports capital fund. I would have thought that after 15 or 20 years many sports organisations would have developed and installed many floodlights, pitches, training grounds and dressing rooms. It is a great sign that we are not just talking about three or four core sports and many others are seeking funding. Have we reached out to many other sports around the country, including minority sports?