Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to comment on the events of the past few days. Like most Members, I am delighted the issues between the women's teams and the FAI have been resolved, training has recommenced and the scheduled match will go ahead next Monday evening. I wish the team the best of luck.

Over the past number of years, we have seen huge strides being made by our women's international soccer team and I wish them the best of luck.

I understand all of the issues raised by the women's team have been successfully resolved following mediation last night. I made contact yesterday morning with Sport Ireland and the FAI and I encouraged both to facilitate mediation. I was delighted it was availed off by all parties without preconditions and that the matters have been resolved.

It is disappointing the dispute between the team and the FAI happened in the first place but I am pleased that it has now been resolved. It is important that woman and girls are encouraged to participate in sport and I am fully supportive of the existing programmes in place aimed at increasing female participation in sport. Football plays an important role in that regard. Women’s participation in football has been growing in recent years and I know it will continue. Since the launch of the FAI's women’s development plan in 2006, the number of registered players in the women’s game has grown from 12,500 to more than 23,000. It is a clear indication of the huge increase and interest in women’s football and I have no doubt the part played by the women’s national team and members of that squad acting as ambassadors and role models has been a huge factor in the growth in participation.

I take this opportunity to congratulate the team on securing fourth spot in the Cyprus Cup last month, their highest ever finish in a tournament.

Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department as a statutory agency, provides funding to the FAI from its youth field sports programme and its women in sport programme, which I launched yesterday for 2017. Funding of €2.7 million was provided to the FAI last year. Youth field sports funding is aimed at increasing participation in football by young people, both boys and girls. The women in sport funding is for the grassroots development of specific programmes in women’s football and funds participation initiatives for women. The FAI's individual programmes are aimed at encouraging young girls aged between seven and 12 to play football. The programme has been a major factor in the increase in the number of young girls participating in recent years. Over 130 soccer sisters camps will be taking place around the country during the upcoming Easter school holidays. We have seen programmes like these with the GAA cúl camps. Programmes like this are a great way to get young girls involved in sport and I commend the FAI for the work it is doing.

Since this Government came into office, we have put a number of initiatives in place such as funding for the women's GPA. References were made to women's sports in general. Funding is now in place when it previously was not. The Women's Rugby World Cup is coming up in the summer. I will use the opportunity to promote that and hope people engage in it. We have also seen improvements in the broadcast of women's sports, particularly in the Women's Six Nations. This has to be welcomed.

Reference was made to the GAA. I remind the Deputy the GAA has responsibility for handball and underage hurling and football in our schools and it does not discriminate between boys and girls. Many clubs across the country have, at underage level such as under-eights, under-tens and under-12s, boys and girls playing together. The GAA has a programme for the development of women in the sport. It needs to be acknowledged in terms of the overall contribution the GAA makes. The IRFU has a similar situation as do most of the national governing bodies that come under the umbrella of Sport Ireland. Sport Ireland has specific programmes for the development of women's sports, the funding of which we announced yesterday. The allocations will be made through the national governing bodies.

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