Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick:

I welcome Mr. Mulvey and Mr. Treacy. I am one of the lucky ones in that I have seen the campus at Abbotstown. It is absolutely fantastic. The main point is that it is for all sports, as has been said, from equestrian to camogie. It is great.

The most important word when it comes to sport is participation. That means everyone can get involved, not just the elite. The year 2020 has been a very frustrating one for everybody so far. Let us call a spade a spade. Sport is playing a big part in helping people combat the situation.

Reference was made to the GAA, soccer and rugby and all the other sports. They put a fantastic effort into trying to help people. All sports lost sponsorship, income from gate receipts and broadcasting. Things are very tough. In fairness, Sport Ireland played a big part in November with the announcement of the €85 million in Covid-19 funding. I liked the fact that the funding was distributed to everybody at national, international and local level. That was very good. The allocations were distributed through the national governing bodies and the local sports partnerships.

Today, I want to speak about the grassroots. We can all see the US Masters golf tournament and the rugby on TV but an unbelievable amount of work is done locally. Today's discussion is about the impact of Covid-19 on sport. I know the work put in by local sporting organisations in communities in Gaelic games, rugby and soccer. Everybody put their shoulders to the wheel. People in communities helped those who needed to go to hospital or to the chemist's shop for medication. The problem in recent months is that the small clubs in local communities are bleeding heavily. They have nothing coming in. Previously, they had draws or a pub in the local clubhouse but now they have nothing. The money from Sport Ireland is being distributed but a lot of the small clubs are getting nothing. Many clubs have good administrators. They are very good at putting in applications and getting funding. Mr. Treacy is a sportsperson. He was a household name. I get phone calls from clubs on a daily basis pleading with me for help with level 5 restrictions and everything else. It is very hard on clubs. Are the grassroots clubs getting the money they deserve? I ask both Mr. Mulvey and Mr. Treacy to respond. I am looking for value for money today.