Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

Deputy Upton makes two important points. The National Stadium has had significant resources spent on it and it works extremely well and efficiently for boxers who make good use of it. I wish to add to that capacity in terms of provision of facilities that are urgently required. These can be built out of facilities at Abbotstown.

The Deputy's point concerning funding is a very good one. This is quite clear when one drills into the sports capital programme and looks at the amount of resources going to boxing. One of the problems boxing clubs have lies in matching resources. These are not as wealthy as some of the soccer and GAA clubs, and others. I am in talks with the Irish Amateur Boxing Association to see if we might put together a package that would allow resources to be better accessed by boxing clubs. Like Deputy Upton, I have boxing clubs in my constitutency. We all have. The money that goes to them is often very little although they can do a considerable amount with few funds. We must look at sports that have impediments in matching resources because they are not able to compete for matching funds with the bigger sporting organisations. I agree with the Deputy and it is my intention to try to put more resources into boxing clubs. They have proved themselves and they deserve it.

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