Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will engage with League of Ireland clubs through the FAI and Sport Ireland. As I said, a significant funding package has been put in place which will be allocated and distributed over the month of October. That is €40 million for the three major sporting bodies. Decisions about how that money is specifically allocated by those sporting organisations is a matter for them but the Minister and I are keen to support the League of Ireland and ensure its continuity. We cannot have a scenario where there is a question mark over it.

There will obviously be funding challenges for all sports next year. We are engaging with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform around the whole sporting budget because the reduced numbers of participation are directly impacting the budgetary position of clubs across all sports that require ticket sales for their underlying finances. The League of Ireland is a key, grassroots league that is important for Irish soccer and I support it. We will ensure that there is certainty around it through the packages we have already announced and future packages.

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